


Whatever You Do, Don’t Fall In Love

by vanilladingdongdie



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Avatrice, Camilil is here too, F/F, Fake Dating CRACK, and yes Shannon is alive in this AU, but in a school AU, maybe I dunno yet, there's a little plot towards the end so not so crack anymore?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 56,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25912750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanilladingdongdie/pseuds/vanilladingdongdie
Summary: How do you piss off your conservative, workaholic parents? Date a girl who can't take anything serious.orAU where Beatrice and Ava fake date. Just fake date, nothing more. They're definitely not gonna fall for each other in the process and be gay happily ever after. Nope, of course not. Well, maybe just a little.
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 683
Kudos: 1462





	1. Beatrice, You've Lost Your Mind

**Author's Note:**

> This is me writing in a sleep deprived state for an hour. I don't know what's happening.

“We’re dating now.” 

Ava looks up from her abruptly shut locker and came face to face with none other than the school’s golden girl staring her down. 

“Beatrice. Fancy seeing you here.” She greets, a grin already forming before she raises her eyebrows. “What? You’re not even gonna buy me dinner first? That’s a bit fuckboy-ish for you, isn’t it?” 

Beatrice rolled her eyes at the response. Of course she would be acting this way. 

They were in no way _friends_. Hell, they didn’t even run in the same social circles in school. There was no reason to. Ava had her merry band of “misfit troublemakers” that were always on the verge of being kicked out of school and Beatrice had the girls that basically ruled the school with the social status they held. They had no need to cross paths except for when it came to athletics. They were all in different fields, but everything was connected somehow due to the weird system in school that they’d rather not explain due to its complication.

“Not real dating, obviously.” Beatrice scoffs, as if she were to actually date someone like Ava. No, this would only be a scheme. A plan of sorts to make things more interesting. She wasn’t even planning for it to be long term. 

Now, it was Ava’s time to roll her eyes. “Cut to the chase, golden girl. And be nice about it, too. Cause I’m not the one coming up to someone and telling them that we’re dating now. So unless you want me to even _consider_ your plan, I suggest playing nice. A little begging wouldn’t hurt either.” She says as she holds a folder to her chest, waiting for Beatrice to respond. The last bit was intended to be a joke, but Ava wouldn’t mind if Beatrice actually did it. Might even be a cute opportunity to tease her.

But instead, Beatrice sighs, thinking for a moment before settling on how to proceed. “Okay, here’s the thing. I’ll just make it simple. My parents? They hate you.” 

This didn’t really surprise Ava. It was known in the school that Beatrice’s parents weren’t exactly the most warm or welcoming. Big benefactors from academic to athletic to other extra curriculars in the school, sure, but definitely not the pleasant kind that was out of the goodness of their hearts. What surprised her is the fact that they even knew she existed; much less have the energy to actively dislike her. 

“Well tell them when you get home that I say fuck you. Or fuck them, and not you. Just a big screw them in general. They’re not exactly high up on my favorite people list either.” Ava says dismissively before furrowing her eyebrows as she realizes something. “Wait. Why are you telling me that? Are they going to stop funding my team? Cause we bring home nothing but first place trophies for this school! What the fuck. They can’t just do that!”

“What? No. Just listen, shut up.” Beatrice says impatiently. She didn’t think this conversation would take this long or had this much convincing since she thought Ava would just be down for anything. “They don’t like you because of your attitude. And they already think that I’m a disappointment to the family. Which is exactly why we’re going to be fake dating. You’re gonna come to my house, be with me in events in which they’re there, and just be around me in general whenever they’re watching because I want to piss them off.” 

Ava stared at Beatrice for a moment like she completely lost her mind. Then stared at her some more. Finally, she laughed. “Oh, dude. I was wrong about you. You’re not as stone cold as people think you are. That was a crack up right there, thanks.” Ava says as she continues to laugh, calming down after a moment. “Damn. Okay, Beatrice. You got me. Thanks for the laugh. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get my crazy ass away from you.” 

She turns her back to Beatrice to leave, but finds herself unable to do so due to a hand clasped tightly on her shoulder.

“We’re not done, Silva.” Came Beatrice’s voice from behind her. “I’m serious. I need you to date me. Fake date me, that is.” 

_‘Okay, maybe this chick really has lost her marbles.’_ Ava thinks to herself before shrugging off the hand and turning around to face the taller girl. “Beatrice, I’m not going to fake date you because you want to piss your parents off. I didn’t even know you were gay.” 

Beatrice scrunches up her nose at that. “I mean thought it was quite obvious.” She states before shaking her head. “I guess not. Then again maybe you’re just that oblivious. And ignorant. But the matter remains, I’m not going to take no for an answer.” 

“Fine, then. Nope.” Ava says with a sweet smile before dropping it. “What is it with you anyway? I’m sure your parents hate other people too. Why can’t you go make them fake date you? Why does it have to be me?” 

“Because the other ones my parents don’t like are boys. And they have a good reason since they’re all idiotic fools. Plus, they’re _boys_. And I’m gay. You’re the only girl they hate, which is perfect and easier for me. And since they’re conservative Catholics who doesn’t care about anything other than their work and appearance to the public, it’s only a given that they’re going to hate it when they find out that their only daughter is dating a girl.” Beatrice explains, nodding a bit after. “Their heads might even explode.” 

Ava smirks at the last bit. She didn’t expect Beatrice to be like this at all, given her reputation as the perfect being in school. She wasn’t the golden girl for no reason, after all. “Alright. I’ll bite since I’m curious. Few questions first though. What do you get out of this nutty idea, how do your parents even know I exist for them to hate me, and what do _I_ get out of all this since this whole plan just seems like a perfect opportunity for your parents to have me kicked out and shipped off to some foreign land with a new identity?”

And Beatrice couldn’t answer right away. Instead, she looks around at the people passing by them, giving them curious glances, trying to hear the conversation they’re having, before actually looking at Ava again. “Write your questions down. I swear I’ll answer them, but not here.” She says before pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper from her back pocket. “Here’s my number. Text me and I’ll meet with you to answer them all when you’re not busy. Okay?” 

The shorter girl narrowed her eyes at Beatrice before slowly reaching up and taking the piece of paper. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued as to where this would lead. “Okay, fine. I’ll hear what you have to say first before making a decision. But only because I think you’ve lost your mind and it’ll be neat to say to people that I was the one who saw it firsthand.” 

Beatrice can’t help but roll her eyes. She definitely would not be doing this, and she definitely did not want to date someone like Ava Silva. But, she was set in her plan. She just had to execute it. 

“I wasn’t the one who took her jersey off after a match and waved it around like a lunatic in the middle of the field. This is a Catholic school for crying out loud.” 

With that, Beatrice turns away from Ava and walks away. Although she couldn’t help but smile when she heard Ava’s calling out behind her. 

“Hey I only did that because we won! Don’t you shame me for it! And don’t act like you didn’t love seeing it either!”


	2. Bet On It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little talk between the two before diving head first into all the crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol you guys actually read this mess?

“No kissing? Are you serious?” Ava asks, mouth slightly open as she stares at the beautiful being in front of her. 

Much to Beatrice’s delight, Ava did actually text her to meet up so they can discuss her little plan further. She could practically _feel_ her parents shaking in anger already and it made her giddy. 

She had met up with Ava right after school, away from the prying eyes of their schoolmates. Which she was thankful for since she was still very much a very private person. Despite all the attention she got and this less than sane plan that she just cooked up.

Beatrice nods. “Yes, you read that right. No kissing. Or much public displays of affection. You can hold my hand whenever you please, though.” 

“Beatrice, I thought this was supposed to be fake dating?” Ava says as she looks up from the paper she was reading. “No kissing, no hugging, I can’t even put my arms around your waist as we walk together. Seriously? No one is going to believe this bullshit.” She adds before sliding the paper over to Beatrice and picking up her cup of ice cream. 

She honestly should’ve expected that Ava’s place of meeting was an ice cream shop that she claims had the best flavors in the world. Although hardly anyone from their school went there. Which in a different perspective was a bonus given that Beatrice wanted things to be discreet. It was definitely better than the mall where everyone was. 

“It’s not–whatever you described it as.” Beatrice shakes her head. “It’s going to work. Not all relationships have to have public displays of affection.” 

Ava stuck her spoon in her mouth, letting the ice cream melt on its own before pulling the small plastic utensil out. “Golden girl you’re talking about starting a relationship—“ 

“Fake relationship, let’s get that clear.” 

“ _Relationship–_ “ Ava shot a look at her as she continues. “With me. Literally one of the most affectionate people around school. Everyone sees me hugging dozens of people before lunch even rolls around. I high-five teachers, I kiss my friends, hell I even tackle the other team’s mascot when we’re at a game. My love language? Touch. And everyone knows it.” 

Beatrice stared at the girl in front of her, happily eating away at her ice cream without a care in the world. And she’s _right_. As hard as it is for Beatrice to admit. No one would believe the relationship is real. Clearly, there needs to be some alterations to the plan. 

“Is this you saying yes to my proposal, then?” She asks, choosing to go over the whole displays of affection conversation later. 

Ava laughs before holding up her left hand. “Buy me a ring first, honey.” She says as she points to her ring finger with the pink plastic spoon. 

“Cute.” Beatrice rolled her eyes before crossing her arms over chest. “What’s it going to be, Silva? Is it a yes or a no? If it’s the latter then we’re done here for now, given that I have to think of another way to convince you to accept.” 

“Dude, for real?” Ava raises her eyebrows before setting her cup down and pushing it aside. “You haven’t even given me the answers to my questions yet. We literally ordered, sat down, and then you shoved a list of rules in my face.” She says as she gestures to Beatrice’s list from earlier. 

“Well we have to establish ground rules if this is going to work and—“

Ava put a hand up to stop her from talking. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed it yet, but I’m not exactly a stickler for rules. And I literally cannot believe that you won’t even take cute couple pictures with me. And that you actually thought that I would be stealing your pens for you to make a rule about it. Just–no.” 

The other girl just huffs and looks away, a bit too proud to admit that she may have put in some unreasonable requests. 

“We’ll circle back to your thing later. Right now, I wanna hear what you have to say about my questions.” Ava begins before clearing her throat and reading the first thing off of the paper she was holding. “What the hell do I get out of all this?” 

“Attention.” Beatrice answers straight away, making Ava scoff. “Really? That’s all you’ve got for me risking my ass? Your parents could have me kicked out if they really wanted to.” 

Beatrice taps her finger on the table before shifting a little in her seat. “It’s not exactly a secret that you like attention in school. I just thought you’d find it entertaining that you get to be the first person to date me. Show off that you’re the only one who has actually accomplished such feat. I don’t date, and everyone knows I shut down anyone who asks me out. So, wouldn’t you like to be known as the one person to change that?” 

The other girl smiles and claps her hands. “Well played, golden girl. I’m impressed. You hit me right in my sweet spot.” Ava says as she laughs and shakes her head. “Although you do know you can just...hire someone else right? You’re like, filthy rich.” 

“I’m not rich, my parents are rich.” 

“And that’s exactly the kind of thing a rich person would say. Point proven, just answer the question.” 

Beatrice fought the urge to argue with Ava, just grumbling in her head before sighing. “I told you. My parents know you, and they don’t like you. It’ll take a while for a hired individual to build such a reputation. And I don’t want to wait. Plus, there’s no doubt that my parents want me to steer clear from you. They hear the faculty and board talk about you and your stunts all the time.” 

“Nice to be recognized.” Ava smirks. 

Beatrice rolls her eyes. “See? You love the attention. What else do you want? I can pay you if that’s your issue.” 

“What? No. I don’t want your money.” Ava says, instantly furrowing her eyebrows before waving the thought away. “No. It’s fine, attention and bragging rights are enough. I would say next question, but you already kinda answered it. How do your parents even know I exist?” 

“Well they’re not blind. And you’re not exactly a wallflower when it comes to school events. My mother still tenses up whenever she spots a frog.” 

At that, Ava immediately snickers to herself. She and her friends had released a bunch of frogs in the auditorium during a recital once. Beatrice’s parents just happened to be in the audience since their daughter was performing in public, and it was supposed to be on television. And the next day the whole school was talking about Beatrice’s mother lobbing a frog at their principal out of sheer horror. 

“Okay, okay, shut up. It’s hilarious, we get it. But that’s actively when they started disliking you. All the stories they heard from the faculty just added onto it. They’re surprised that you haven’t been expelled yet.” 

Ava grins. “Well as much of a nuisance as I am, I’m still one of their star athletes. My grades aren’t so bad either.” She says proudly, making Beatrice shake her head. She didn’t argue though, since it was true. A little bad behavior wasn’t grounds for expulsion if the student is still a valid role model to others. 

“Yeah yeah, don’t start getting cocky now. God knows you’re already that way at school.” Beatrice says while Ava smiles. “You’re gonna have to learn how to put up with it if we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together.” 

“Does that mean that you agree?” Beatrice asks, daring to let her hopes up before it was shot down. 

“Not so fast. I’m not done with my questions.” Ava says before setting the paper down on the table. “Okay so as asked earlier, what do you get from going through with that plan? I know you said you wanted to piss your parents off and everything, but why? Like, the real reason why.” 

Beatrice thinks for a moment, a bit unsure of what to say exactly since there really was no valid reason for it. She just woke up one day and the need to anger her parents was just present. She needed to do something about it or else it would just eat her up inside. 

“I’m just a little too tired of them. Of how they treat me, how they talk to me, how they exist in my life. I understand that they’re my parents, that they just want me to be the best, but they’re not my family. They only want me to be perfect because it’s good for their image.” She shrugs, already used to the shitty feeling of knowing that. “Did you know that the only reason they had me when they did is because they wanted to be painted as a picture perfect family to the society? They never wanted kids. Hence, only child.” 

As she speaks, she doesn’t notice the way Ava’s eyes studied her. The way she tensed up all of a sudden, the tone in her voice, her clenched fists on the table. Ava didn’t miss the words she was saying either. 

“In other words, you want to rebel against your parents.” Ava says after a moment, making Beatrice look at her and nod. “I suppose so, yes.” 

Ava purses her lips for a moment before nodding as well. “Yeah, I get that. I mean not the wanting to piss off your parents thing, but I get wanting to piss off authority figures.” 

“Do I dare ask again?” Beatrice questions, raising an eyebrow. “Is this you accepting the terms and conditions I’ve put out?” 

At that, Ava makes a face. “Don’t call it terms and conditions. That’s just something I skip and never read. No, I don’t agree to your plan.” She says, making Beatrice deflate. “But, I do want to make a bet.” 

Beatrice looks at Ava again, curiosity in her eyes but clearly masking it with hesitance. “A bet?” 

“Yes. A bet.” Ava smiles at her, a bit too mischievous for Beatrice’s liking. “If I’m going to agree to this, at least make it interesting.. Whoever falls in love with the other first, loses.” 

“What are the stakes?” Beatrice asks after a moment of just looking at Ava, wondering why on Earth she was making such a proposition. 

And as if Ava couldn’t seem more like the devil at that very moment, she grins. 

“Isn’t heartbreak enough?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still figuring out if this is high school or college/uni. i wrote this with no plan or outline so god help me


	3. Queer Messes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith definitely was not on board with Beatrice dating Ava. She wasn't afraid of letting it be known either, until a certain sunshine girl appeared and suddenly she can't even form a sentence correctly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a filler chapter. Just establishing the relationships within the group.

“Are you serious?” Lilith hissed at Beatrice before gesturing wildly at Ava. “ _Her?!_ That _imbecile?!_ ”

“That imbecile has a name, y’know.” Ava points out as she watches the interaction from her spot, finding it quite amusing that Beatrice’s best friend already doesn’t like her.

Beatrice sighs and nods. “She’s right, Lilith. There’s no need to be so hostile. Everyone is being civil here.”

“Beatrice you can’t just come up and tell us that you’re dating someone out of the blue! And that _someone_ is Ava Silva? Have you gone mad?” Lilith asks, looking incredulous as she struggles to wrap her mind around it. “Your parents would explode!”

“I’m not fully backing her up here, Bea, but you know she’s right.” Mary nods as she sits in between Ava and Shannon, letting the two continue on their discussion while she puts her two cents in every now and then.

“Your parents will be furious. Unless you’re planning to keep her a secret.” Shannon speaks up before looking over Mary. “No offense, I’m sure you’re great. Thank you for making Beatrice happy and everything. Her parents are just…difficult to please.”

“Bullshit!” Lilith exclaims before Beatrice hits her shoulder to be quiet. “Come on! She’s loud, disruptive, has no sense of responsibility, completely self centered! The teachers want to murder her! Need I go on? Not to mention the fact that she runs around with those other hooligans!”

Ava scoffs before shooting Beatrice a look. “Nice friend there, babe. Really, I’m feeling the love.”

Following their recent conversation and bet, the two took a few days for themselves to figure out what they would be doing when they’re at school. They thought it was best that only they knew about the bet, so all their close friends would just think they’re dating along with Beatrice’s parents and the entire student body.

Beatrice met Ava’s friends first, and it certainly went better than this. Although Beatrice had already known that it would be hard to get her best friend to agree. They had grown up together since their families were close friends so Beatrice knew how Lilith was when it came to people outside their circle. But Beatrice introducing her ‘girlfriend’ to Lilith was just a pure shocker given that her love life was basically nonexistent up until then. Everyone knew that.

It was much easy with Mary and Shannon though. They were a year older and had a better grasp of things in a general sense. If Beatrice says she has a girlfriend that makes her happy, then who were they to push that girl away?

“And who said you get to talk?” Lilith snaps while glaring at Ava. “What did you do to Beatrice anyway? Sorcery? She can’t be bribed, so are you just blackmailing her into dating you? Because if you are then that’s just sick and I should be reporting you to the dean.”

“Lily!” Mary warns before shaking her head. “Calm down. You don’t even know the girl.”

“I know her well enough to confirm that she’s a bad influence. She won’t be any good to Beatrice. Hell, she just isn’t good enough _period_.”

This time it was Beatrice who called out. “Lilith! Stop it!” She demands, shooting a look towards her before looking at Ava apologetically. “I’m so sorry about her.”

But Ava just waves it off. It’s not like she actually had to impress Lilith. This was all pretend, so it didn’t really matter to her if she was liked by the best friend or not. “It’s fine, all good. Morticia over there can have her own opinion of me. Doesn’t really matter. The only opinion I care about is yours.” She says, smiling at Beatrice.

Did she mean it? Well, not really. But this was a bet, and if she was going to win and say that she was the one who got to break Beatrice’s heart, then bring on the sweet talk. She was determined for this to go her way.

“Why aren’t you that sweet to me?” Shannon whispers to Mary, making her roll her eyes. “Because we’re not disgusting like the kids these days.”

“Enough! This was a bad idea. I’m sorry, Ava. We can just try this again another time when Lilith has had more time to cool down.” Beatrice says before Lilith rolls her eyes.

“Whatever. Just keep that thing away from me. And I’m definitely not covering for you when your parents are calling to ask what you’ve been up to and where you are.”

Beatrice sighs as she sits on the free spot next to Ava, the shorter girl immediately wrapping her arm around her waist before throwing a smirk over at Lilith just to piss her off even more.

“You don’t need to cover for me. Because I’m not keeping Ava a secret.” She announces while Lilith looked at her like she had suddenly sprouted four heads.

Mary was the first to speak up after. “You’re...gonna go public? So suddenly? And tell your parents about Ava? Beatrice are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“The last thing we want is for you to be shipped off somewhere overnight.” Shannon continues but they could see that Beatrice’s decision was set in stone.

“It won’t be fair to Ava if I were to keep her a secret. I’m not ashamed of her, and my parents would just have to deal with it.” She nods while Ava grins. “I bet you guys she’d be the first to say she loves me.”

That of course, earned her an elbow to her ribs. “Worth it.” She chuckles before surprising Beatrice with a kiss on the cheek. There would be no mouth kisses just yet, since Beatrice still hadn’t agreed to it, but Ava got her to (reluctantly) agree to everything else. Which included hugs and cheek kisses.

“Gross.” Lilith mutters while Beatrice looked at literally anywhere other than Ava’s direction. That was the first time Ava had kissed her since they made their bet and Beatrice was not prepared for it at all. Sure, she’s gay and she couldn’t deny the fact that Ava is attractive as hell but she’s never actually had a date before. Much less be kissed by someone who’s playing her girlfriend.

She eventually clears her throat, willing the redness on her cheeks away before shifting slightly despite Ava’s arm around her waist. “Anyway, yes. Not keeping her a secret. As soon as I have an opening, I’m going to introduce her to my parents.”

“I’m sorry, are we talking about the same people here? Because we’re talking about your mom and dad, Bea. Your _parents_. Are you out of your mind?” Mary asks, still not being able to believe that Beatrice of all people is willing to do that. “These are the same people who banned me and Shannon from coming to your place because we were gaying everything up. Remember?”

“Hey, they lightened up! Eventually. They don’t even say anything anymore when you guys come over.”

“Yeah, after two years.” Shannon points out.

Beatrice sighs before glancing at Ava and then turning her attention back to the others. “Everything is going to be fine, okay? I’m not scared, and you guys shouldn’t be so worried.” She says before looking directly at Lilith. “And _you_ need to lighten up. Ava’s a nice girl, and you two might even get along if you really tried.”

“Yeah, no. Never gonna happen, not even gonna think about it.” Lilith rolls her eyes. “And it’s not like you two are going to last anyway.”

“Lilith! Not nice!” Shannon scolded while the taller girl just threw her arms up.

“Oh come on! We’re all thinking it! What are the chances that—“

“Hi guys!” A new voice chirps, making everyone look up at the newcomer. “Sorry, tech club ran late.”

Ava was the first to greet her back. After all, she was more her friend than Beatrice’s. “Camila! Nice of you to finally join us. Come, Azula over here was just berating me even more.”

Camila furrowed her eyebrows. “Oh?” She tilts her head to the side a little as she looks at Lilith’s direction.

And suddenly, it’s as if the tall girl couldn’t function properly.

“I-I uhm, wasn’t berating her. I was only uh, well, just saying that—“ Lilith was a loss for words. She would never admit it out loud, but she didn’t want Camila to hear her say the words she was saying to Ava. Or any bad words, really.

Ava lets out a low whistle as she watches the mess that Lilith suddenly became, realization dawning on her and the others.

“Oh, this is gonna be good.” Mary smirks while Shannon tries to hide her laugh.

“What’s happening?” Beatrice whispers to Ava, making the girl gape at her. “Are you serious? Your best friend is suddenly a gay mess and you don’t notice? Look.” Ava points to Lilith, who was trying to explain to Camila what they were talking about but failing miserably since she kept stumbling over her words.

“Wait. Lilith—?”

Ava nods, clearly very amused at how flustered Lilith was while talking to happy little sunshine girl Camila. “Damn. We’re all just a bunch of queer messes here, aren’t we?”

“Got that right.” Mary says with a nod before fist bumping with Ava. “I’m thinking you should bring Camila around here more often.”

“Oh believe me, I definitely will now.” Ava snickers before actually laughing out loud when Lilith threw a helpless look at them as Camila grabbed her hand and dragged her away.

“Not even 5 minutes and she’s already whipped. Poor girl.” Mary shakes her head as she watches them. Shannon looks at her and raises an eyebrow, making Mary roll her eyes and nudge her girlfriend a bit. “Alright fine, I was whipped for you too. Shut up.”

“Well now that Mai is occupied, what are we going to do?” Ava asks as she looks at her pretend girlfriend, letting her other arm wrap around Beatrice’s front so she was basically just hugging her from the side.

“I thought Lilith was Azula?”

“She can be both!”

“Beatrice?”

Said girl suddenly freezes in her spot as soon as she heard the voice. Her smile disappeared in an instant, and it was clear how she suddenly tensed up in Ava’s hold. She took a deep breath before turning around, and looking up.

“Mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will probably have one or two filler chapters more before Ava and Beatrice really get into their little bet. Next up? The parents.


	4. Your Mom Is A Stone Cold Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little number with Beatrice's parents before Ava and Beatrice really goes head to head in their bet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little warning, I hate this chapter. It's all over the place and there's hardly any crack. Apologies!

“Dude, what the fuck, just calm down.” Ava chided as she watches Beatrice be a nervous wreck on the drive to her house from the passenger seat of her car.

Beatrice only clenched her jaw before letting out a breath. “I _am_ calm. What are you talking about?” She mumbles and Ava barely heard it before rolling her eyes.

“I’m talking about the fact that your knuckles are just white now.” Ava points out. Beatrice has basically just gripped the hell out of the steering wheel as soon as they got into the car. Of course, Ava knew why. She could still picture the time Beatrice froze up and went all pale.

_“Beatrice?”_

_Said girl had turned around and saw her mother, staring at her with what looked like a mixture of shock and...what was that? Realization and disappointment? Confirmation and shame? Ava couldn’t quite place it._

_“Mother.” Beatrice spoke with such a calm and reserved voice. Ava almost missed the fear behind them._

_And while Beatrice seemed to be frozen in place, Ava wasn’t. So she slowly slid her arms away from Beatrice’s waist and moved away a few inches from where they were sitting. She wasn’t exactly sure how they’d go about the meeting, but Ava was pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to be like this._

_“Beatrice, what are you doing? Don’t you have your violin lesson today?” Her mom’s voice was surprisingly calm. Too calm. It was unnatural, Ava decided. Too restrained. “And who is this you’re with?”_

**_‘Pfft. Like you don’t know.’_ ** _Ava thought, rolling her eyes mentally._

_“We’ve met before. Been friends with Beatrice for years? It’s Mary and Shannon.” Mary speaks up only to be silenced by her girlfriend. Beatrice would’ve laughed at the interruption if it weren’t for the fact that she was stuck in her mind, thinking of ways on how to go about this._

_“You know, I think I forgot to get my notes from my locker. So, uhm, come.” Shannon excuses herself and Mary as she stands up before dragging away the protesting girl._

_Ava only heard her say ‘she’ll eat them up alive!’ before the two were out of earshot and her and Beatrice were left alone to face the beast. And since Beatrice was still frozen, Ava took the opportunity to introduce herself. After all, this was part of the deal. Piss off the parents._

_“It’s a pleasure, ma’am.” Ava says with a smile, doing finger guns at Beatrice’s mother before internally cringing._ **_‘Idiot!’_ ** _A voice in her head yells before she clears her throat. “I mean, good afternoon. I’m Ava. Beatrice’s girlfriend.”_

_With that, she stands up and takes a few steps closer to the mom bot, sticking out her hand for a handshake. “I think we’ve met before. And I do believe Beatrice has violin tomorrow, not today.” She says with a smile, proud that she actually remembered Beatrice’s long list of schedules._

_Of course, she really should’ve expected Beatrice’s mother to just look her up and down, let her eyes settle on her hand for a few seconds before turning away to look at Beatrice._ **_‘Wow, not even an acknowledgement. No wonder Beatrice got fed up.’_ ** _Ava thinks before dropping her hand to her side._

_“Beatrice, speak up. We’ve talked about you staying silent when there’s a discussion at hand.” Her mother reminds her, sending her a pointed look that made Beatrice nod immediately and sit up straight._

_“Yes. Of course, mother. You already know Ava. And yes, she wasn’t joking before. She’s my girlf—“_

_Before she could even finish the word, her mother had already held up a hand. “Enough. Get home, now. We’re discussing this with your father.”_

_She gave Ava another look before turning around and walking off, making Ava nod once she was far enough. “Damn. Now I see why you wanna get them riled up. No offense Bea, but your mom is kind of a stone cold bitch.”_

_Beatrice buries her face in her hand for a moment before grabbing her bag and standing up. “Come on, we better get home. It’s one thing to learn that your daughter is gay, but it’s another to be late.” She says as she tosses Ava’s bag to her before dragging her off to the parking lot._

“Hey! Stop that!” Ava swatted at Beatrice’s hand before shaking her head. “Seriously, woman! You’re cutting off your blood circulation!”

She then reaches over and practically pries Beatrice’s hand away from the steering wheel, rubbing her knuckles out. “See? Doesn’t that feel much better?” She asks as she starts to rub small circles on the back of her hand, trying to get her to relax.

“You got this, Bea. Are you sure you want me to come with you? You saw your mom. Straight up ignored me like some lost ghost or something.”

Beatrice nods as she glances at Ava before letting her eyes get back onto the road. “Well we did plan on just going straight to the house and telling them. This is kinda the same.”

“Yeah the only difference is that your mom caught us so we don’t have the element of surprise anymore.” Ava says as she holds up Beatrice’s hand and traces every line, every strange faint scar that looked vaguely like crescent moons, every callous from no doubt all the hard work put into whatever activity needed her glorious hands. I mean seriously! Ava didn’t have a hand kink, but holy mother of fuck. Beatrice’s hands are just magnificent.

For a moment, all thoughts of the bet and deal they made flickered away in Ava’s mind. And she was just a girl holding Beatrice’s hand, studying it, memorizing it. That was, until Beatrice cleared her throat.

“What are you doing?”

Ava suddenly let go of her hand and turned away, rolling her eyes. “Relaxing your hand, what did it look like I was doing? I didn’t want you losing feeling in your hands and then getting into a crash. Not while I’m in the car.” She says as she folds her arms over her chest, staring out the window.

Beatrice eyed her suspiciously before shaking her head. “Make sure to really sell it later, alright? And please know that whatever they say to you doesn’t mean anything. They like to say things to make you feel small. Insignificant. They can influence the situation better that way.”

“Don’t worry about me. I have no reason to please them. It’s not like you’re my actual girlfriend so their words won’t mean much.” Ava shrugs before letting herself look over at Beatrice again. Just to make sure that she wasn’t on the verge of ripping the steering wheel out. “The deal was to piss them off. And that’s my specialty.”

“I believe the deal was not to fall in love _while_ angering my parents. I hope you know that I intend to win that.” Beatrice says casually, her demeanor lightening for just the slightest bit.

A smile appeared once Ava realized that Beatrice was actually playing along. “Oh? You really think you’re gonna win this, golden girl? I’ll have you know, no one can resist my charms.”

Beatrice just glanced at her with a bored look. “Anyone in the right mind could. Easily.”

“Right mind meaning you?”

“Correct.”

“Piss off, I’m totally winning this.” Ava says with a determined look on her face before grinning evilly. “After all, touch is a very powerful aphrodisiac.” She adds before letting her hand rest on top of Beatrice’s thigh.

She barely held back her laugh when she noticed Beatrice’s sharp intake of breath, stiffening up on contact. Her knuckles turned white on the steering wheel again, but this time Ava let it be. If she had to play dirty to win, then game on.

“What’s the matter, Beatrice? No witty remarks all of a sudden? Cat got your tongue?” Ava teases as she moves her hand further up the other girl’s leg before squeezing gently. “Wouldn’t you rather _I_ get your tongue instead? With my own, of course.”

Beatrice just about slammed the breaks as Ava says that. “We’re here.” She chokes out before hurriedly taking her seatbelt off and opening the door, getting out as fast as she can while she mentally scolds herself. How was she supposed to win if Ava kept pulling moves like that and she just acted like a flustered idiot?

Meanwhile, it took Ava a whole two seconds after Beatrice got out of the car before she burst out into laughter. Struggling to free herself from the seatbelt as she herself gets out of the vehicle. She nearly falls on the driveway as she gets out, her lungs desperately trying to catch air as she continues her little laughing session.

“Shut up!” Beatrice hissed, trying her best not to look at Ava since her face was practically red as a tomato. “It’s not even funny! My parents could hear you!”

Ava allowed herself about half a minute more of laughter before she starts to calm down. “Should’ve seen your face! You should _see_ your face actually. Also, quick question, are you related to tomatoes in any way?”

“Idiot.” Beatrice shoves Ava a bit before adjusting her bag. “Yeah yeah laugh it up. I’m just not used to people getting touchy with me. Once I am though, I’m getting back at you.”

“Sure thing, golden girl. I’d love to see you try.”

“And quit calling me golden girl.”

“Beatrice!”

The two girls looked at each other before slowly looking up to where the voice came from. Ava hadn’t even realized how big the house was when they drove up, much less the black iron gates that they passed through to get into the property. Although that didn’t really matter right now given that Beatrice’s father was standing at the front door, a serious look on his face.

“Are you ever going to stop laughing and get inside?” He speaks again after a moment, making Beatrice smile and Ava straighten up.

“You know I really prefer your parents when they’re just smiling for photos or being polite to other people in public. They always seem so perfect.” Ava whispers as she watches Beatrice’s father retreat into the house.

Beatrice lets out a breath before nodding. “Yeah, you and me both.”

That was when Ava noticed Beatrice’s nails digging deep into her palm. _‘So that’s what those are.’_ She thinks as she remembers the crescent shaped marks from earlier.

Without even thinking about it, Ava reached for Beatrice’s hand and urged her to unclench it so she can intertwine their fingers. “Then let’s go bring chaos into their world. Really unhinge them from their fake perfect facade.” She smiles at Beatrice, squeezing her hand slightly.

Beatrice looks at Ava and returns the smile,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, you read that right. I ended it there. There was supposed to be 3.6k words in this chapter, but I thought that was too long. So I split it in half! Right down the middle! 1.8k words exactly :)
> 
> Great idea, right? Thank  spacewritermonkey 
> 
>   
> You'll get the other half tomorrow! Maybe. If I'm feeling nice hehehe......


	5. Game On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This just picks up from where I left it previously

shaking her head slightly. “They’re going to hate you so much.” 

“That’s the plan, isn’t it?” 

With a nod, Beatrice leads Ava up to the front door, making sure to keep a tight hold on her hand as they stepped inside. 

“They’ll be expecting a serious talk, so they’ll be in their study. Come on.” Beatrice mumbles as she leads the way. 

Ava would’ve looked around the massive place, took notes of all the paintings and awards. How there wasn’t even photos on the walls of Beatrice as a child or their family except for one. There was a giant portrait of Beatrice’s family right above the living room fireplace, and even though Ava found Beatrice to be extremely cute as kid, the whole thing was just creepy. Like something was just off about the fake smiles and Ava _swears_ the eyes of Beatrice’s parents were just _dead_. 

“I think their eyes are following me.” Ava whispers as they pass by the living room, forcing herself to look away from the portrait and instead just grip tighter onto Beatrice’s hand. 

“I was seven, they were home for the weekend with nothing better to do. Although I do distinctly remember being very happy that they were there with me, even if they left right after for an urgent business meeting.” Beatrice says before smiling sadly. “I didn’t know any better back then.” 

Ava furrowed her eyebrows but before she could get Beatrice to say more, the other girl had already knocked on the large wooden door in front of them before turning the handle and pushing it open. 

“Mother, father. Good afternoon. You were expecting us?” Beatrice greets as she gently tugs Ava inside, having her stand beside her as she looks straight at her parents. 

Her father was sitting in his chair behind the large oak desk while her mother was at the drink cart, making a drink for her and her husband. Beatrice could see her dad zero in on her hand in Ava’s and watched his face harden. 

“Just _what_ do you think you’re doing?” He seethes, looking right at Beatrice. 

_‘Okay, good ‘ol daddy is ignoring me too. Cool, cool.’_ Ava thinks before the mother shakes her head. 

“We were only expecting you, Beatrice. Not your little friend here.” She says as she walks over to the desk to hand her husband a glass of straight whiskey. 

Beatrice couldn’t help herself. She rolled her eyes before letting out a breath. “Mother, as I’ve said earlier Ava is my _girlfriend_. Not just a simple friend.” She then nudges Ava, signalling for her to speak. 

And of course Ava being Ava, decided that it was good to greet Beatrice’s parents with her signature shit-eating grin. “Enchanté, future parents in law.” 

There was a brief moment of silence in the room, both adults just staring at their daughter and her guest (although one could clearly see how Beatrice’s father stopped breathing for a split second) while Beatrice looks at Ava. 

“Do you even speak French? Or know what that means?” She asks quietly, to which Ava just shrugged as a response. 

“Enough!” Her father commanded as he sets his glass down on the table before pushing his chair back and standing up. “Beatrice, that is enough from you. We specifically told you to do public community service. Bringing this girl here is just straight up charity work!” 

Beatrice was taken aback, not expecting that to come from her father. He’s said harsh things before, but never directly to someone he didn’t know. And while Ava was used to the whole orphan thing, it did surprise her that he actually knew about it. And apparently thought it was a bad thing. 

“That’s hardly fair—“ She starts before immediately being cut off. 

“I’m not going to let my daughter date another girl! And especially not _that_ girl!” Her dad points to Ava, who only dropped Beatrice’s hand so she can hold up hers in defense. 

“Hey don’t take it up with me, pops.” She says with another grin that only infuriated Beatrice’s father even more. Yup, Beatrice definitely did a great job at picking the right fake girlfriend. “Beatrice is a big girl, y’know. She can date whoever she wants to date.” 

This time it was Beatrice’s mother who spoke up. “Yes. A nice boy from a prominent family! Not an orphaned girl with barely any recognition other than her miraculous recovery.” 

“One we approve of! Beatrice, you’re really proving yourself to be wasted potential. What would our friends and colleagues think? The public? Dating a girl with a dead mother and an absent father! What a disgrace!” Bea’s father boomed and that was the first time she really took offense to their words. 

She was already used to her parents talking down to her, but to bring up Ava’s past? Something she had no control over? That was just too low. 

“Stop it! Her past has nothing to do with us!” Beatrice suddenly cuts in before Ava could really react. She turns her head to Beatrice and grabs her hand again, silently telling her to calm down. 

And when that didn’t work, she resorted to whispering. “Bea, it’s okay. It’s cool, don’t worry about it. I don’t mind.”

“No! It’s not okay! _I_ mind! I’m tired of them dictating my life and telling me who I should be friends with and who I should avoid! I’m not letting them tell me who I can and can’t date and I’m especially _not_ letting them talk to you like that!” 

“Beatrice! Do not use that tone with your father!” Her mother snapped, losing the little bit of composure she had while her husband recuperates from the way his daughter spoke. 

“Or what?” Beatrice challenged, holding the gaze of her mother before looking at her father. “Tell me, what are you going to do? Tell the public that you kicked your only child out because she’s gay? Lock me away somewhere? Ship me off? You know I can easily find my way back here.” 

At this point there was really nothing Ava could do to calm Beatrice down. So instead she just lifts her other arm up and holds onto Beatrice’s forearm while still holding tightly onto her hand. 

Beatrice gave her parents a chance to speak, but when they didn’t she continued. “Are you going to disown me from this family? Because news flash, this wasn’t even a family to begin with.” 

With that, Beatrice signalled for Ava to move as she removed her hand from their hold before turning around and headed out the door, leaving Ava just standing in the room awkwardly. 

“Right.” She shoots them a smile, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet for a moment. “I guess it’s a bit too early to call you mom and dad, huh?” She lets out a small nervous laugh before clearing her throat and looking away.

“Sorry, just gonna...go. After Beatrice and all. Make sure she’s okay. Yeah. It was goo–uhm. It was a pleasu—hm. It was nice to–?” She struggles to find the right words, knowing that it wasn’t exactly a joy meeting them. “I’m just gonna stop talking now. See you guys around school or something. Bye!” 

She gives them a little wave before literally running out of the study, hoping to catch up to Beatrice somewhere and not get lost in unfamiliar territory. She goes back the way they came from and sees the front door open so she runs straight out, seeing Beatrice leaning against her car. 

“Dude! You literally just left me! They could have _eaten_ me!” Ava exclaims as she approaches the other girl. “What was that? You just went off on them! I could’ve handled it. I thought _I_ was supposed to piss them off? What’s the point of all my Ava energy when I couldn’t even use it?” 

She didn’t know what type of response she was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t Beatrice’s sigh and sad look. “I’m sorry, you’re right. We should’ve stuck to the plan. But I couldn’t let them talk to you like that.” 

Ava softened in an instant. Yes, Beatrice wasn’t really her friend and she definitely wasn’t her real girlfriend but she was going to forget those right now because god _fuck_ this was not the Beatrice she knew. It wasn’t right. 

So she reaches into Beatrice’s jacket pocket and took her keys out before unlocking the car. She grabs her hand and pulls her into the back seat, making Beatrice go in first before following and closing the door. 

“Bea. Look at me.” Ava says softly after dropping the keys into the center console. Reluctantly, Beatrice looked up from her lap and made her eyes stay on Ava’s. “I’m okay. I don’t care if they bring my past up because I don’t care about their opinion. I wasn’t kidding when I said I only cared about yours.” 

Beatrice furrows her brows slightly, not really sure where that’s coming from because who would be okay with just being talked to like that? She was about to say something before Ava beat her to it. 

“But thank you. For defending me in there. It couldn’t have been easy, talking to your parents like that. I appreciate it. And I appreciate you, even if they don’t. I know it doesn’t mean much, but you’re so much more than what your parents give you credit for.” 

Ava smiles at her before leaning in and kissing her cheek. “For practice.” She whispers when she feels Beatrice about to ask why she was kissing her when no one was around to see it. 

“Now come on, turn that frown upside down! You got what you wanted! Pissed your parents off and came out! I literally thought your dad was going to have an aneurysm and just faint.” Ava laughs, finally making Beatrice break into a smile before chuckling. 

“I must admit, it felt good. Speaking to them like that and seeing their faces. Sorry I didn’t let you have your moment though.” 

Ava waves her off. “There will be others! Ones where we can piss them off in public. Maybe make out in front of them? Hey, I’ll even take my shirt off after a game while you run towards me and give me a congratulatory kiss.” 

“You wish.” Beatrice wrinkles her nose as she nudges Ava away slightly. 

They both share a laugh before Ava speaks again. “Just make sure to keep it in your pants and not to fall in love with me, okay? I know I’m irresistible, but you can’t lose so early into the game.” She smirks as she wiggles her eyebrows at Beatrice. 

Of course, Beatrice could only roll her eyes before scoffing. 

“Game on, Silva.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this out of the way. Now we focus on Avatrice flirting!


	6. A Tiny Sprinkle of Camilil (mostly gay mess lilith)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little hallway time before class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I'd be doing Avatrice flirting but instead this happened. Very sorry for that

For a glorious moment, Beatrice actually had a clear and level head one cool Monday morning at school. For that moment, everything was normal. Calm.

Of course, that was all ruined when she was suddenly pushed up against the lockers–her hands pinned to her sides before she heard someone whisper close to her ear.

“Hey babe.”

Her tenseness suddenly melted away when she recognized the voice, making her grumble under her breath before pushing the body in front of her away.

“You idiot, I could have punched you!” She scolds as Ava’s grin came into appearance.

Ava did nothing but laugh and wave her off. “Nonsense! You’d never punch your girlfriend! And I come bearing gifts! Well, gift. I kinda ate the donut that I got you on the way here.” She shrugs as she hands over the cup she was holding over to Beatrice.

She eyed it suspiciously before Ava rolled her eyes. “It’s not coffee and it’s not spiked or anything. Relax. It’s that hot leaf juice you like to drink.”

“Tea. It’s tea, Ava.”

“Whatever, same thing.”

Beatrice sighs but takes a sip anyway, thoroughly surprised when she found herself not hating the taste even though she never told Ava what kind of tea she liked.

“Camila told me to get that. I know nothing about tea.” Ava says when she sees the look on Beatrice’s face. “I personally thought that there was just brown, green, and when you put milk it in.”

Beatrice shakes her head but chooses not to get into detail about the different kinds of tea flavors right now. “Thank you. This is very nice of you.”

“Hey we gotta have a thing, right? People need to see me bring you stuff and be sweet about it? Also, maybe if I’m nice enough you’ll just melt and fall for me and then I’ll win.” Ava says in a relatively quiet voice but Beatrice still shoots her a look after.

“Not so loud! You’re gonna get us caught!” She whisper-yells.

“What are you two talking about?”

The new voice startles the two slightly, making Beatrice turn around to see who it was. She lets out a sigh of relief when she sees that it’s only Lilith.

“Do you _really_ want to know?” Ava asks, suddenly smirking at Lilith. “Cause I was just telling Beatrice what I’d be doing to her tonight when we—“

“Shut up!” Lilith growls, effectively cutting Ava off. “I already don’t understand why she’s dating you, and am tolerating you at best. Tell me about your sex life and I will effectively cut all contact.”

Beatrice could feel her face instantly heat up and she just turns towards the lockers before hitting her forehead against it, wishing that she wasn’t here for all of this. It was too early. Can’t the ground just swallow her up and be done with it?

“Look what you’re making her do! The poor girl.” Ava says, although she was laughing both from Lilith’s glare and Beatrice’s embarrassed look. “I was just gonna say that I was telling her what I’d be doing when she loses game night tonight. Date idea, y’know? I never said anything about sex.”

Lilith wanted to strangle Ava right then and there.

“You know I get a strong feeling that you don’t like me very much, Lily.” Ava says after a moment of Lilith just glaring daggers at her.

“It’s not just a feeling.” Lilith retorted. “I’ve told you multiple times already that I don’t. Again, tolerating you at best for the sake of Beatrice. And don’t call me Lily!”

“Lily? Oh! That’s a pretty name!” A voice chimes in, making Lilith instantly spin around. Her eyes widened when she sees Camila standing in front of her, her mouth going dry all of a sudden. “Is that your nickname? Lily? I love lilies!”

“Uh—that’s not really....well, sometimes some people call me Lily but I prefer to be called Lilith.” Lilith explains but quickly continues when she sees the slightest falter of Camila’s smile. “Not that you can’t call me Lily! You can! If-if you want to, that is. I don’t mind. Lily is fine.” She nods quickly, chest suddenly feeling tight as her throat burns. Her cheeks too, undoubtedly. Also, it felt like she was going blind from Camila’s smile.

Behind her, Ava could barely control her laughter before turning to Beatrice and burying her face into her shoulder. The taller girl was just about to ask what she was doing before feeling Ava shaking with silent laughter, her arms around Beatrice’s waist as she clutches her jacket as if her life depended on it.

It takes her a moment, since she wasn’t used to Lilith acting like an idiot. But when it finally settles into her brain that Lilith was a blubbering mess because of Camila, a smile breaks across her lips and she starts to laugh with Ava as well. Albeit, more restrained. She didn’t need her best friend more embarrassed than she already was.

Lilith, as if sensing that something was going on, glanced behind her before immediately shoving the two laughing girls in order to stop them. It didn’t work, of course. Especially not with Ava.

“What are you laughing at?” Camila asks innocently as she looks over at Ava and Beatrice, who can’t seem to compose themselves as Lilith whispered harshly for them to shut up.

It was then that Ava finally turns her head to look over at Camila, sending the girl a bright and teasing grin but not once letting go of Beatrice. “Oh, nothing. Just a happy morning is all. Excited to see my girlfriend and whatnot.”

That was enough to bring Beatrice back to reality. She was suddenly aware of the arms wrapped around her, and the body of her supposed girlfriend pressed tightly against her. She looked down at Ava and tried not to let herself tense up. _‘This is all for show, calm down.’_ A voice in Beatrice’s head reminds.

“That’s very sweet of you two.” Camila smiles before looking up at Lilith again. “And I’ll definitely take up calling you Lily. I think it’s a pretty name. It suits you.”

Lilith looked like she was gonna pass out. All she could do was stare at Camila, feeling as if her legs would give away any moment. If it weren’t for Beatrice reaching out with her free hand to put it on Lilith’s shoulder, she probably would have fainted.

“Lilith here isn’t used to receiving compliments. You’ll have to forgive her.” Beatrice explains, although that just seems to make Camila frown and knit her eyebrows together.

“Really? That’s not right. People should be complimenting you more.” She says with a small but firm nod, making Ava grin as she formulates a plan.

She unwraps herself from Beatrice before walking over to Camila’s side, throwing an arm over her shoulders. “Camila, you’re free after school today, right?”

“I am! No clubs today. Why do you ask?”

Ava glanced at Beatrice, briefly shooting her a look to go along with it. “Well, Beatrice and I have a date. It was supposed to be game night. But why don’t we all go out instead? You, me, Bea, and Lilith? What do you think?”

Lilith almost choked at the idea. She spins around and starts slapping at Beatrice’s arm as subtly as she can, making her best friend intervene. Beatrice caught on quickly of course, but what was she supposed to do? This was good for Lilith. She needed to relax.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea. I happen to know that Lilith is free today as well.” Beatrice finds herself saying, trying to avoid the look of utter betrayal that Lilith was giving her.

Camila smiles at this and nods enthusiastically. “If we’re not intruding, I’d love that! We really should hang out more.” She says happily before looking at Lilith. “Are you okay with that? We’re going to be with a couple, so you and I are going to have to spend a lot of time together. Just so it’s even. Only if you’re comfortable, of course.”

“Of course she is!” Ava answers immediately for Lilith. “She’d love to come, and she’d love for you to accompany her while Beatrice and I are being gross with our lovely dovey couple stuff.”

“Great!” Camila claps before checking her watch. “I have to go now though. But I’ll see you guys later! Bye, Lily! Looking forward to spending time with you.” She adds, waving at the tall girl and smiling at her again before walking off.

As soon as Camila turned down the hallway, Lilith spun around and glared at Ava for a whole two seconds before lunging forward and wrapping her hands around the laughing girl’s neck.

“I’ll kill you right here!” Lilith fumed as she shakes Ava back and forth, her back hitting against the lockers over and over while other students would stare.

Despite Ava’s laughter, a panicked Beatrice quickly wrapped an arm around Lilith’s torso so she can pull her off. “Lilith! No! Bad! Stop, killing is wrong!”

“You were no help!” Lilith exclaims as she lets go of Ava due to Beatrice pulling at her. Ava tried to regain her breath, although completely red from the amount of laughter and amusement of the situation.

“Oh my God! Bea, did you see Lilith’s face? I thought she was gonna pass out!”

Lilith was just about to make a go for Ava again before Beatrice yanked her back. “I’ll sue you!”

“For you being a gay mess?” Ava rolls her eyes, smirking at Lilith. “Play your cards right, and you might just have a girlfriend, Lil! And I thought Beatrice was a hopeless gay mess around girls. Turns out you’re even worse.”

Beatrice shoots Ava a look before sighing. “While I’m well aware of Ava’s teasing and don’t agree to it, she’s not completely wrong. Come on, Lilith. Everyone can see that you like Camila. We’re just nudging things along.”

“I don’t need any help!”

Ava scoffs. “Oh, please. You need all the help you can get. You can’t even utter a word to the girl without blushing and stuttering and basically short circuiting. Beatrice has more game than you and she basically has zero.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, baby.” Ava shoots her a sheepish grin before winking at Beatrice. “You know it’s true though.”

Beatrice grumbles under her breath before sighing once again. “Ava’s meanness aside, you do have a problem when talking to Camila. So, we’re going to help you get more comfortable around her. Okay? Later. You’re coming.”

And before Lilith could say anything, the first bell rings and everyone started to hurry along with what they were doing before they were late to class.

“See you third period, Lil.” Beatrice smiles before grabbing Ava’s hand and dragging her off, wanting to get away before Lilith starts her protests again.

“You’ve completely lost your mind.” Beatrice states once she was sure that they were far away from Lilith. “She could have _killed_ you.”

“Psh, like I’m scared of her.” Ava waved off, letting her fingers intertwine with Beatrice’s own and slowing their walk down a little. “You gotta admit, it was hilarious seeing her like that.”

Beatrice thinks for a second before nodding. “I’ve never seen her act like that before. For anyone. I never expected her to become undone around sweet little Camila.”

“Trust me, Camila has her fair share of dirty little tricks and secrets. She’s not all that sweet. Why do you think I’m friends with her?”

“Camila? Having dirty little trick? I’ll believe it when I see it.” Beatrice chuckles, as if that’s the most absurd thing she’s ever heard of.

They finally stop in front of Ava’s first class and Beatrice motioned for her to go in. “You behave, okay? My reputation is connected to yours now, so I can’t have you going all crazy.” She whispers to Ava, making sure no one would hear them.

“Relax, mom. I got this.” Ava assures, giving Beatrice a confident smile. And if she can do that, then Beatrice could be confident as well.

“Good.” She nods before noticing some people looking at them. So she took a chance and leaned down to kiss Ava’s cheek, catching the other girl by surprise.

“People are watching.” Beatrice mumbles before taking a step back. “See you later, okay? No cutting class, no getting into trouble.”

With that, Beatrice walks away. But Ava was still rooted to her spot. She was left staring at Beatrice’s back until the girl disappeared, her hand slowly reaching up to touch her cheek.

_‘Why the fuck is it all tingly?’_ She wonders before clearing her throat and shaking the thoughts away. _‘That was just for show, idiot. Get a hold of yourself. You don’t even like her.’_ She reminds before marching right into class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Avatrice next chapter. That I can guarantee 110%


	7. Let The Games Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know, man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for my favorite bitchass hoe cause I told her I'd give her Avatrice. You know who you are.

“Hey, where exactly are we going?” Beatrice asks as she looks over at Ava, who was just pulling at the seatbelt so she can get it on.

They hadn’t really talked about what they were going to do with Lilith and Camila, given that nothing was planned. Ava just wanted to mess with them. So after school once they had all met up, Ava had sent the two off to collect some snacks while she and Beatrice got their little hangout ready.

“Home, where else? Can’t really go somewhere last minute. And I kinda don’t wanna go over to your place since your parents could be waiting for me with the Black Ops or something.” Ava shrugs as she punches in her address so Beatrice could just follow.

But her answer made Beatrice curious. _‘Where is home, exactly?’_ She thinks. She didn’t know Ava that well, but she knew she was an orphan. Was she taking her and their friends to the orphanage?

Ava throws an amused look over at Beatrice, practically seeing the gears in her mind start to turn. She knew she could have fun with this, so she didn’t bother with explaining unless Beatrice had the guts to ask.

And given with how restrained and polite Beatrice is, she honestly doubted she’d bring it up right away.

“Right. Okay, let’s go.” Beatrice nods after a moment before starting up the car and driving off to wherever home was for Ava. “So, Camila has been there before?”

“Yeah, she has. Camila has a huge loud ass family, so she spends some nights over whenever there’s a big exam coming up so she can study in peace.” Ava says with a smile. “And in return, we go over there whenever there’s a holiday and I’m not doing anything. Shit’s fun. Her mom makes killer drinks with whiskey.”

At that, Beatrice makes a face. “Whiskey? But you’re not legally allowed to drink yet.”

“And in some countries it’s illegal to be gay. That doesn’t stop you, does it?” Ava retorts, rolling her eyes playfully. “Lighten up, Bea. We don’t get drunk over it. I actually think you’ll like going over there. And Camila has taken a liking to you, so it won’t be long until I’m dragging you over there as my date. Lilith too, of course. God, I cannot wait to see the look on her face when a bunch of Cam’s siblings tackle her.”

There was an evil glint in Ava’s eye that Beatrice chose to ignore for now, focusing on the road instead.

“What’s with that, anyway? You wanting to torture Lilith by using Camila.”

“It’s not torture if she’s into her!” Ava defends, laughing a little. “I just think it’s hilarious that she can’t function around Camila. Besides if anything, this is me helping her.”

Beatrice raised an eyebrow. “Really? That’s you helping her? By making her all embarrassed to the point of wanting to faint?”

“Okay I admit I can be nicer about it, but hey I need entertainment and she’s not exactly miss sunshine goldenheart around me so that’s just payback.” Ava shrugs, not at all bothered.

“I’ll give you a pass on that one, only if you tell me where home is.” Beatrice says after a moment, gripping the steering wheel just a little tighter as she hopes that she hasn’t crossed a line.

Ava furrowed her eyebrows slightly before gesturing at the screen. “My address is literally right there.” She points out, grinning slightly when she sees Beatrice roll her eyes.

“You know what I meant!”

Ava laughs before shaking her head. “Yeah, yeah. But it’s a bit too late for that now. You’ll just have to wait and see. I hope you don’t mind being around a kid, though. One is always in my room. But I swear, he’s very nice.“

_‘So she has a male child for a roommate?’_ Beatrice thought before letting it go, knowing she’ll see soon enough.

They drove in comfortable silence for a while before Beatrice noticed that they were in a very nice neighborhood, filled with big houses and an environment fit to raise kids. She didn’t know many orphanages, but this surely wasn’t the scene she was expecting.

She eventually stops once they arrived at them destination and Beatrice looked around, thoroughly confused as to where exactly they were. “Uhm, Ava? Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

Ava nods as she takes her seatbelt off before opening the door. “Yeah, hold on. Let me open the gate for you. Don’t want you getting towed.” She says before getting out of the car and running ahead, leaving Beatrice very confused.

She looked around, trying to spot a sign or anything that may indicate an orphanage but it seemed to just be an ordinary house. Until Beatrice slapped herself mentally and remembered that foster homes were a thing. Which made sense, given that Ava’s a bright student with a promising athletic career. She needed a proper home.

Beatrice was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed the gates start to open up to a spacious driveway, Ava suddenly popping up at the side and waving for her to come. She did, of course. And once she was parked properly she gets out of the car and looks around the property.

“I know, I know, it’s not like your ye olde mansion. I think you guys just need a moat and some crocodiles or something to complete the whole thing. But there’s only three of us here and even this is too much space.” Ava says once the gates were all closed and she was near Beatrice.

Beatrice looked at her, still confused. “Three of you?”

“Yes, three of us.” Ava nods before grabbing Beatrice’s wrist and dragging her towards the front door. “What? You think I still live in an orphanage?” She adds as she drops the wrist she’s holding so she can unlock the door, gesturing for Beatrice to come in when it was open.

“Well...I didn’t want to assume.” Beatrice says quietly, her eyes suddenly finding the floor very interesting as opposed to looking at Ava who probably thought that she was just like her parents.

Ava just chuckles as she closes the door, just motioning for Beatrice to follow. “Why wouldn’t you? I get it. Not many people know I got adopted. All they know is my miraculous recovery and how I quickly climbed up the top when it came to school activities. Trust me, I’m used to it by now.”

And if Beatrice had believed that, she would’ve looked up from her shoes and noticed the place that was the opposite of her house. Sure, they were both large and spacious but unlike her place, the walls were covered with photos. That didn’t count the framed ones that were littered here and there. No doubt precious memories.

Ava turned around when she noticed that Beatrice was still quiet, so she took her hand and gave it a light tug. “Hey, seriously. It’s cool, I take no offense at all. I know people still think I’m an orphan, and I don’t really bother correcting them. Now come on, brighten up. I want you to meet my family.”

At that, Beatrice finally looks up so she can stare at Ava. She barely had time to shake her head in protest before she was pulled up a flight of stairs. “Wait, Ava. You didn’t tell me I’d be meeting your family! I’m not prepared! I didn’t bring anything, I’m not even sure if I look presentable enough!” She says, making Ava snort.

“You aren’t meeting the Queen, golden girl. Now come on, just be you. I haven’t talked about you yet, so it’ll be a bit of a surprise. But they’ll love you!”

“How can they love if they don’t even know me?”

“Shut up and keep walking. Trust me a little.”

Beatrice huffs but had no choice but to follow Ava. It wasn’t like she could just run off. Besides, this is what girlfriends do. They meet parents.

_‘Except, you’re not actually Ava’s girlfriend. This is a bet. Probably a tactic. Guard up.’_ Beatrice’s brain reminds, making her furrow her eyebrows since she actually forgot about that for a little while.

They eventually stop in front of a white door covered with a child’s drawings. Beatrice was about to take a closer look before Ava knocked a few times and pushed it open.

“I’m home! And I brought someone over!” She calls out into the room as soon as she was in, dragging Beatrice behind her.

“Did you bring Camila? Or Chanel?” A voice asks, and Beatrice quickly found the owner to be a young blond boy. It was then that she realized Ava didn’t have a roommate, she just had a little brother that most likely goes into her room a lot.

What she failed to realize that it wasn’t just the boy in the room, there was also a blonde woman beside him on the bed. She looks up before smiling, kissing the little boy on top of his head and then standing up.

“Well this is new. You never usually bring people around here. Who’s this?” She asks and Ava shoots a smile at Beatrice before dropping her hand so she can nudge her forward a bit.

“This, is Beatrice. She goes to school with me.” Ava says before shrugging. “She may also be my girlfriend. We’ll see where she stands after Michael meets her. See if he approves or not.” She says, glancing at the little boy and grinning.

“Girlfriend?” The woman questions, looking at Ava who has already plopped herself down on the bed so she can give Michael a hug before turning her attention back to Beatrice.

And of course, Beatrice felt her blood run cold. _‘Don’t mess it up, don’t mess it up. Don’t make a fool of yourself.’_ She chants before she actually nods, sticking her hand out for a handshake.

“Yes. It’s fairly new, but yes. I’m Ava’s girlfriend.” She manages a polite smile, her nervousness melting away slightly when the woman gripped her outstretched hand.

“Well then it’s very nice to meet you.” She smiles, shaking Beatrice’s hand for a moment before letting it drop. “I must say, that’s a bit of a surprise. Ava’s usually a talker. I’m her adoptive mother, Jillian Salvius.”

Beatrice furrowed her eyebrows when she heard the name. “Salvius? _Doctor_ Salvius? _The_ Doctor Salvius who’s company is leading in the field of Medical Science?”

“How do you think I got cured, Bea?” Ava says with a laugh, finding Beatrice’s reaction all too amusing even though the other girl was feeling ridiculous with how confused she’s been the entire day. She usually knew everything, could catch up easily. But this was something else entirely.

“Hm, yes. I suppose people should really make that connection more often.” Jillian says with a small chuckle. “We found Ava in St. Michael’s orphanage when we were looking for volunteers to work on new research. See if they would work, risky as it sounds.”

“And I obviously had nothing to live for. So why not, y’know?” Ava continues. “I guess she took a liking to me and had me stick around. Plus, little dude here thinks it was faith my orphanage had the same name as him. Helped nudged it along, since there was a soft spot for the name.” She says with a fond smile as she ruffles his hair, making him laugh and swat her hand away.

“She’s not wrong about that, but there are other factors too.” Jillian says as she throws a playful look over at Ava. “Her spirit is unlike any other, trust me. Even as a quadriplegic, she found a way to make things bright. Always smiling and joking around. Drove all of us into doing everything we could until we finally found our miracle. Our research with Ava has led to many little miracles for other families too. Gave them hope for a brighter future.” She finishes with a smile before letting out a breath.

“But look who I’m talking to. I’m sure you’ll find all those endearing qualities along the way. And I suppose this way, I won’t have to worry about Ava bringing boys into her room.” Jillian laughs, but that only made Beatrice blush and look away for a moment.

“I-uhm...can assure that there won’t be anything inappropriate going on.” She says, trying to fight off the heat in her cheeks while Ava and Michael laughed at the no doubt embarrassed look.

Jillian nods, smiling at Beatrice reassuringly. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you more, but I can already tell that you’re a much more responsible young woman than my daughter.”

“Hey! I’m plenty responsible!”

“Yes, yes. So you’ve said many times.” Jillian waves Ava off before checking her watch and sighing. “You’ll have to excuse me now. I have a business call I need to attend to. Michael sweetie, try to get some rest after you’ve spend some time with your sister, okay?”

“I will.” Michael nods before Jillian gives them all a smile and heads out of the room. Once the door was closed, Ava immediately patted the empty spot on the bed.

“Bea, come on! Come meet Michael!” Ava says excitedly. Beatrice smiled at her, trying to hide the fact that she’s a bit uncomfortable around children. She was an only child, and had no real contact with younger children so she had no idea how to act around them.

Nonetheless, she sits down on the spot next to Ava before holding out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Michael.”

Michael smiles up at her before taking her hand to shake it gently. “She’s pretty.” He whispers up to Ava, not necessarily keeping Beatrice from hearing it.

“That she is, buddy. I did good, didn’t I? And she’s smart too. And athletic. And everyone likes her. So I’m pretty much dating the smart pretty perfect girl.” Ava says with a bright smile before winking at Beatrice.

She thought she was done with blushing, but apparently the wink sent a signal to start another wave of redness. This time making her stomach flip a few times before she clears her throat.

“I’m hardly perfect.” Beatrice mumbles while Ava rolls her eyes.

“No need to be so humble, Bea. We gotta impress Michael here. He has to approve of you, remember?”

“I already do, Ava.” He says, looking up at her and nodding. “You look happy. She makes you happy and she makes you smile. I like her.”

Beatrice couldn’t help but look away, hating that she actually _liked_ how Michael described Ava. How he said that she makes Ava smile, makes her happy. _‘Why do I like that so much?’_ She wonders, before chalking it down to her just being deprived of the feeling.

“Wow, Bea. Looks like you‘ve got the Michael seal of approval already! So you’re gonna be stuck with me for a while.” Ava beamed as she looked at Beatrice.

To Ava, that smile was to let Beatrice know to just play along. After all, they were just in a game, nothing is real. That was established in the start. Even if she was starting to regret it unconsciously.

But to Beatrice, that smile meant something. Like something was there, hidden in that little bet they had going on. It would certainly explain why her heart started to pound every time Ava gave her _that_ specific smile.

After a moment, Beatrice clears her throat before looking away and smiling shyly. “Yeah, I guess so. I’ll try not to be bummed out too much.”

Ava laughs before she starts a conversation with Michael, inviting Beatrice to join in. He showed them the drawings he did for the day, and promised Beatrice that he’d be giving her some once he thinks of what to draw for her. She thought it was sweet, how he seemed to like and trust her already.

It didn’t take much longer until he declared that he was getting sleepy, so Beatrice got off his bed and cleared out the papers and crayons and colored pencils while Ava tucked her little brother in so he can get his rest. Once he was settled in, Ava takes Beatrice’s hand and quietly leads her out of the room.

“That went well.” Ava smiles once the door was shut. “For sure better than the meeting with your parents. Right?”

Beatrice sighed but agreed. “True, but that’s because your family actually cares about you and what you want in your life. Including the people you choose to let in. Mine just doesn’t care about any of that.” She points out, letting Ava pull her along to a door further down the hallway.

Ava glances back at Beatrice before shaking her head. “You really don’t deserve the way they treat you. I hope you know that. I’m sorry they’re so shitty towards you.” She says, catching Beatrice by surprise since she was expecting Ava to respond with a joke.

“Don’t be. I’ve learned to deal with it. Why do you think I’m finally rebelling against them?”

“For all I know you’re only doing this cause you wanna get close to me.” She raises her eyebrows at Beatrice before she turns to open the door. For a split second, Beatrice wanted to deny it and defend herself. But of course, Ava was back to making jokes.

“After all, I _am_ the hottest person in school. Admit it. Ever since you first noticed me, you’ve been entranced. Fell for my charms right away, didn’t you?” Ava smirks as she enters her room, pulling Beatrice inside as she protests.

“Shut up! You can only wish, Silva. I’ve seen you trip over a piece of paper, what charms are you on about?”

Ava narrowed her eyes at Beatrice before kicking the door shut and suddenly pushing the taller girl against it. Beatrice gasped, her eyes widening when Ava was suddenly up in her personal space, her body practically pressed up against her. Ava’s grin was different this time, her actions suddenly becoming unpredictable in Beatrice’s mind. That worried her.

“Should I show you what kind of charms I have, _Beatrice_?” Ava practically purred her name, making her knees weak and her heart start to hammer against her ribcage.

A hand was suddenly on her waist, keeping her back pinned against the door while another hand reached up to caress her cheek. “Such lovely features.” Ava whispers, tracing a finger along Beatrice’s jaw.

She didn’t know what came over her, but Ava was suddenly very confident in her actions. _‘Game on, right? This is fair. Make her shake.’_ Her mind tells her, resulting in the grin that didn’t want to leave her lips. Beatrice was flustered, and Ava decided that it was one of her favorite Bea things. Not that she had a list or anything. And Beatrice’s smile was definitely _not_ on top of said non existent list.

“You know, I find it very odd that you have a no kissing rule. How are we supposed to have fun?” Ava continues her game after a moment, wanting to psych Beatrice out. The taller girl’s eyes shifted down to Ava’s lips, making her want to push the limit slightly. She leans in closer to Beatrice’s neck, her lips barely grazing the spot under her jaw. “Just break the rules for once, Bea.” She mumbles before briefly pressing her lips against a _very_ sensitive spot on Beatrice’s neck.

Beatrice shivered involuntarily, her mind cursing and yelling at her to stop and to keep her guard up because _damn it this is only a_ ** _game_** _._

“S-Stop.” Beatrice managed to get out, although she was still frozen in her spot.

It was only when Ava started laughing that the ice melted in her veins and was suddenly replaced by an intense burning hellfire. “You ass!” She shouts before shoving Ava back and growling at the girl who was already doubled over in laughter.

“That was not funny!” She exclaimed as she pushes past Ava in an attempt to hide her red cheeks, feeling very hot all of a sudden. She didn’t even think about looking around the room, just making her way towards the desk and setting herself down on the chair. “Shut up!” She snaps when she could still hear Ava’s laughter.

“Bea! Holy shit, you should’ve seen your face! That was so precious! You were practically shaking!” Ava laughed, trying to control her breathing since her stomach had started to hurt.

It was obvious how proud she was of what just happened, so she kicks her shoes off and throws herself on the bed, just looking at Beatrice with a smug grin on her face. “At least now you know not to question my charms.”

Beatrice looked up to shoot a glare at her, although the tips of her ears were still red. “That wasn’t even charm! That was full on seduction!”

“It worked, didn’t it? I didn’t even have to try finding your sweet spot. That was just too easy.” Ava smirks, wiggling slightly in her spot on the bed.

Beatrice rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out. “Shut up. Don’t talk to me until Lilith and Camila get here. I’m mad at you.”

“And yet you were so ready to break your little no kissing rule for me. Weren’t you checking out my lips?”

“Dick.” Beatrice hissed as the blush returned to her cheeks before rolling the chair further away from the bed and turning her back to Ava.

No matter how much she enjoyed that little event (which she would never ever admit), she was going to get even. If this was all a game to Ava, then it was game on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deleted and rewrote this chapter twice ngl. Not very proud of it, but it'll have to do.


	8. Flirty Beatrice Is A Deadly Beatrice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beatrice's revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't supposed to update so soon but this one is for another favorite bitch of mine. Here's my attempt at a flirty Beatrice!

“Camila literally drove through that barrier thing at the parking garage!” Lilith exclaimed as soon as Camila leads her into Ava’s room an hour or two later.

Beatrice looks up from a book, her eyebrows instantly furrowing at her best friend’s outburst.

“Again?” Ava questions, not even bothered as she pauses the show she was watching on her laptop before sitting up from the bed.

Camila skips into the room with her usual smile, too used to the place by now that she just lets herself fall onto the mattress without a second thought.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t have my license plates this time around so they won’t be able to look me up.” She says sweetly while Ava nods, seeming impressed.

“Good call, Cam. You got grounded the last time that happened.”

“Last time?! It happened before?!”

“Literally what are you guys talking about?” Beatrice asks since she was the only one confused at the moment.

Lilith sighs deeply as she takes her bag off her shoulder, just setting it down on the desk before finding a seat. “You heard me. Camila and I were leaving the parking garage when she noticed that the ticket was missing. It must have fallen somewhere and we didn’t notice. And instead of talking to the supervisor so we can pay the lost ticket fee and leave, she stepped on the gas and drove right through the barrier! It literally snapped off! We’re criminals!”

“It’s technically not a crime!” Camila points out.

“Yes it is! Are you mad?!”

“Oh lighten up, Lilith! You’re safe, and Camila happens to be a really good getaway driver.” Ava says, trying to calm Lilith down. “I assure you, if Camila’s behind the wheel, you weren’t followed and you won’t get into trouble. She knows what she’s doing.”

Camila nods, not affected by what she did at all. “That’s why I don’t have my plates on. I just tell people they were stolen and that I’m waiting for the replacements.”

Lilith threw a frustrated look over at Beatrice, who only looked on in horror at how normal that is for Camila and Ava. What other things have they done?

One thing was certain though. Beatrice and Lilith are _fucked_ now that they’re involved with these two.

“So what you’re saying is that I’m dating a regular accomplice to whatever nefarious schemes they get up to?” Beatrice turns to face Lilith, ignoring the two as they gasped in mock offense.

“Hey Ava is more than an accomplice! She’s the mastermind most of the time!”

“Shut up, Cami! You can’t rat me out to my girlfriend like that!”

Lilith runs a hand through her hair, still looking stressed by what happened before glaring at Beatrice. “This is your fault, you know. You had to go and date _that,_ ” she points to Ava before continuing. “And now we’re involved in whatever crime they get up to next!”

“It wasn’t a crime, Lily!” Camila whines before pouting and crossing her arms. “And here I thought that we were having such a good time together.”

“We were until you drove through the barrier and gave me a heart attack on the way over here!” Lilith voice died down towards the end as she looks around, confusion setting in. “Wait, where are we anyway?”

Beatrice raised her eyebrows. “You mean to tell me that you didn’t even question Camila on where she was taking you after she pulled off that little stunt? That’s how you get kidnapped, Lilith.”

“Shut up, I was too busy praying that we wouldn’t get thrown into prison!”

“Oh chill out, you two. There’s nothing wrong with a little excitement every now and then. Consider yourselves lucky cause now that you got us, your days won’t be boring.” Ava waves them off before pulling Camila’s bag closer to her so she can take out the snacks. “And to answer your question, this is my house.”

“Aren’t you an orphan?”

“Lilith!” Beatrice called, surprised that her best friend could be so blunt about it. “You can’t just go around saying that to people!”

“Bea, relax. Please, it’s okay.” Ava insists, shaking her head as she opens up a pack of gummy worms. “And it’s _was_ , Lilith. Yes, I was an orphan. But there’s always a chance to get adopted, y’know. And chance took pity on me so now here I am.”

Lilith just looks at Ava for a moment before nodding slowly. “Well okay, then.” She mumble before letting out a breath. “So, what are we supposed to do now? As the hosts, I expect that you’ve planned out something for us to do.”

Ava glanced at Beatrice, a flash of panic going through her eyes since they didn’t talk about what they would be doing. Only that they wanted to mess with Lilith and Camila.

“We were thinking of just watching movies, actually.” Beatrice answers, giving a small smile. “Ava and I can postpone our little game night date.”

“Yeah! I’ve been meaning to watch a few horror movies for a while now!” Ava says excitedly, glad that Beatrice brought up movies.

Camila smiled brightly before high-fiving Ava, clearly on board with it. “I’ll go make the popcorn and grab some drinks!” She offers before getting up from the bed.

Beatrice’s smile was wiped off from her face before quickly shooting Lilith a look, but her best friend only wore the same expression as she did. They _hated_ horror movies. Did everything they could to escape from Mary and Shannon’s horror nights.

“Lily, come help please.” Camila waves for her to follow before leaving the room, and Lilith couldn’t do anything but to comply. After all, she was already a sucker for the girl.

“I’ll get things set up here!” Ava calls before skipping over to the little living area in the corner and taking all the unnecessary things off the couch that she somehow had in her room.

“So...we’re really set on watching horror films? That’s a thing with you and Camila?” Beatrice asks as she walks over so she can help Ava with the setup.

“Yeah! We love scary movies! We try to watch as much as we can. Especially the ones with tons of gore. God, those are the best.” Ava says with a bright smile as she fixes the cushions before turning the TV on.

Beatrice furrows her eyebrows, knowing there was no way to get Ava to watch something else. “Can’t we alternate?” She suggests, trying not to make it obvious that she’d rather not watch any horror. “Why don’t we watch comedies too? You seem to appreciate humor. Plus, continuous horror films are a bit tiring. Quite boring, frankly.”

Ava gasps, putting a hand on her chest to add to the dramatics. “Did you just say that horror movies are _boring_? How dare you, ma’am?”

To say that Beatrice was relieved when Ava seemed to buy her excuse would be an understatement. Of course, that was before Ava continued.

“Just for that, we’re gonna be watching one that even _I’m_ scared of. And I’ve been watching horror movies since I was like, 7. I’ll make sure it won’t be boring for you.”

At that, Beatrice could only frown. And before she knew what she was doing, she had already caught Ava’s wrist and spun her around so they’re face to face.

“Listen very carefully.” She says, her voice low before reaching up and placing her hands on Ava’s cheeks. The shorter girl seemed surprised, since she was so sure that she had the upper hand not even two hours ago. Now, she was glued to the spot.

“You’re gonna let me pick the movie, no questions asked.” Beatrice smiles, relishing the moment when she sees Ava’s pupils dilate. “And you’re going to tell Camila that you just want to keep your girlfriend happy.”

Ava gave her a confused look, but that didn’t stop the small stutter in her voice. “But we–we aren’t actually d-dating.”

“So? They don’t know that. To them, I’m yours. And you’re _mine_.” Beatrice stressed, knowing she’s in the lead when Ava suddenly bit her bottom lip. Couldn’t even look her in the eye.

“Uhm, o-okay.” She mumbles and Beatrice smiles, leaning closer to Ava’s face before kissing her forehead.

“Good girl.”

She heard Ava’s breath hitch as soon as the words leave her mouth, making her burst out into laughter and take a step back.

“Payback!” She cheers, pumping a fist out in the air while Ava gaped at her.

“What the fuck!” She shouts once she found her voice, blushing furiously and cursing herself for getting caught up in the moment. “Bitch!”

Beatrice smirked. “Language, love. That’s not making your girl happy. You do want me happy, don’t you? Since you seem to be falling for me already.”

“Shut up, I am not!” Ava hissed, crossing her arms as she tries to control the heat that seemed to have made home on her cheeks. “If anything, you’re the one starting to fall for me! You actually wanted to kiss me earlier!”

“Yeah well—”

“We’re back!” Camila sang as she enters the room with two large bowls of popcorn followed by Lilith who was holding a tray filled with different drinks. “Time for horror movies!”

Lilith looked at Beatrice, who only smiled at her to let her know that it’s handled.

“Actually, Camila, Ava promised me we would watch a movie that I wanted to see first.” She says, smiling apologetically at the short girl.

“What? Really?” Camila pouts, looking over at Ava.

Ava only glared at Beatrice for a split second before shrugging her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Cam. Girlfriend duties, y’know? I promise, we’ll watch our horror movie after.”

Of course, Beatrice heard that and immediately nudged Lilith with her elbow, silently telling her to interject. Lilith had to think of something for a moment as she set the tray down before approaching Camila and tapping her shoulder.

“I...really love Disney.” She tries not to cringe, instead smiling shyly at Camila. “Any chance we can watch that after? They...make me happy. Like one of the Princesses.”

Camila seemed to brighten up as soon as Lilith finished speaking before glancing back at Ava. “I guess we should let them pick what to watch. They’re the guests, after all.”

Ava sighs before nodding. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. We can watch our movies another time.”

Lilith immediately turned to Beatrice, who gave her a smile and a discreet thumbs up. If there was one thing they could do well, it was getting their way.

“Alright, you get control of the remote I guess.” Ava says as she walks closer to Beatrice to hand her the remote, completely oblivious that she and Camila were easily played. She then grabs Camila’s bag off the bed and dumps out all the snacks on the table in front of the couch.

“Thank you.” Beatrice smiles as she scrolls through the movies, trying to find what she thinks will keep the others entertained.

Camila then makes her way over to the large armchair, smiling when she notices that it was big enough to fit two people. “Lily! Come sit with me. Let’s leave the couch to the girlfriends. They’ll want to cuddle and stuff, most likely. Let’s not disturb them.”

Lilith scrunches up her nose when it clicks that she’ll have to watch her best friend be touchy and sweet to a girl that’s basically a human form of a hyperactive golden retriever. But then realization crashed down on her and suddenly her knees felt weak again. She’d have to sit right next to Camila. She glanced at the small girl nervously before taking a seat beside her. She kept her hands on her lap, trying to keep as much space between them as possible.

Of course, Camila had other plans. She was used to touch and physical contact, so she throws her legs over the side of the armrest before leaning against Lilith’s chest. The taller girl held her breath (which was probably good since she could not handle taking in Camila’s sweet scent in fear that she might actually explode) as Camila takes her hands before wrapping it around herself.

Camila looks up at her, already content in her position. “I’m a cuddler.”

Lilith could only gulp and nod.

“God, your best friend is such a useless gay.” Ava mumbles to Beatrice, who was also watching the two and almost laughing at how awkward Lilith is. “Well? Go help.”

Beatrice glanced at Ava before nodding, handing off the remote to her. She walks closer to the armchair and places a hand on Lilith shoulder, motioning for her to relax before giving her a smile. ‘Enjoy it.’ She mouths, not wanting to alert Camila. Lilith nods and takes a deep breath before forcing herself to relax.

“Gotta say, Lilith. Did not expect you to be a Disney girl.” Ava teased as to not let the silence get awkward. She lets herself fall onto the couch, trying to get as comfortable as possible before Camila shakes her head.

“Hey, hey. Don’t make fun of her. I think it’s cute.” She smiles before looking up at Lilith again. “ _Princesa_.”

That only made Lilith turn red and look away, the tension in her muscles suddenly coming back as she tries to control her heart that was suddenly beating erratically.

“ _Princesa?_ Damn, pet names already?” Ava wiggles her eyebrows at them before looking at Beatrice as she sits down next to her. “Hey, how come we don’t have cute pet names? Only the normal ones like babe and baby.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes before snatching the remote away from Ava in fear of her suddenly playing a scary movie. “By all means, go ahead and think of some if you want to. But I have to approve.”

“Bunny foo-foo!” Ava throws out immediately, a big grin already formed.

“No.”

“Bunny foo-foo? That’s the best you can come up with?” Lilith asks, for a moment forgetting her own awkwardness. “That’s terrible.”

Ava stuck her tongue out. “ _You’re_ terrible.”

“She’s right, the name is pretty terrible.” Beatrice agrees before finally deciding on a movie and playing it.

“Alright, fine. Well, you’re always drinking that boiled leaf water. Shall I call you _TeaBea_? Or maybe _BeaTea_?”

Beatrice gave her a weird look before shaking her head. “Definitely not. That was worse. And I’ve told you already, it’s not just boiled leaf water.”

“You’re so picky!” Ava whines before her face lights up in excitement. “My little bumble _bee!_ That’s it! I got it!”

Camila claps from her seat, seeming happy with the choice. “That’s so cute! And it makes sense, since we call her Bea already. And it would make for a cute little tattoo!”

“You’re right! Thank you, Camila.” Ava smiles, obviously very proud of the chosen pet name that Beatrice couldn’t bear to take it away from her. It was better than the first two, at least.

“Okay, fine. It’ll have to do.” Beatrice sighs before remembering that she was technically winning the little game they had going on for the day. And she wasn’t about to give up and let Ava have the upper hand again. Trying to hide the amusement from her voice, she turns to look at Ava. “Now come give your little bumblebee a cuddle.”

Ava’s jaw dropped as she heard Beatrice, her face going red again. She was thankful that the other two had turned their attention to the movie. “What?”

“You heard me.” Beatrice says, raising her eyebrows slightly as she fights the no doubt mischievous smile that tried to make its way to her lips. “I want to cuddle with you.”

And when Ava didn’t move (pretty sure it was due to shock), Beatrice removed her shoes before adjusting herself on the couch. Her back was against the armrest the back of the couch, one leg already behind Ava before pulling the shorter girl closer to the space between her legs. “I just want you to be comfortable, my love.”

Ava tensed up at the words, hating how good that sounded coming from Beatrice. Of course, the taller girl knew this judging from Ava’s reaction alone. Ava was just glad that Beatrice couldn’t see her face right now since her back was pressed up to Beatrice’s front.

“Relax, my little lovebug.” Beatrice whispers to Ava’s ear, causing the other girl to shiver slightly. She then wraps her arms around Ava’s waist, resting one hand on her stomach and one right on top of her heart.

“Am I making you do that?” Beatrice inquired as she feels Ava’s heartbeat before hearing a strangled sound coming from Ava. Beatrice tries her hardest not to laugh, since she was very much enjoying her advantage.

“Shut up and watch the movie you wanted to watch.” Ava hissed, not liking that she was losing. _‘Damn it, do something! Fight back!’_ Her mind yells at her, but her head was empty. All thoughts flew away except for the gay screaming.

Yes, this was a bet. She couldn’t allow herself to want and enjoy this for real. And how the fuck was she supposed to know that Beatrice would fight back? Ava isn’t blind, and she isn’t that oblivious. Beatrice is a _smokeshow_. And she’s pretty sure that all girls are at least a little bit gay for Beatrice.

“But love, I want to talk to you.” Beatrice replies innocently, moving the hand that was on Ava’s stomach to find Ava’s hand. She lets them intertwine before bringing it up and kissing the back of Ava’s hand, laughing a little when Ava pulled it back. “I thought you’d enjoy the little kisses. After all, weren’t you the one who said I should break the rules?”

Ava was about to argue but Beatrice beat her to it.

“I’d gladly break them for _you_.”

Beatrice noticed an exposed part of Ava’s skin, right where her shirt collar ended. But unlike Ava who only placed a kissed on her neck earlier, Beatrice actually nipped at it.

And Ava practically jumped out of her skin before promptly dropping down onto the floor with a quiet yelp.

The other two got startled by the commotion before Beatrice broke out into laughter again, harder than earlier since Ava just looked so _flustered_ and red to the point of resembling a fire truck.

“What the hell is going on with you two?” Lilith questions while Camila looked to see if Ava was okay.

“Shut up! Quit it!” Ava pushes at Beatrice’s leg, grumbling as she pulls herself up from the floor so she can drop back down to the couch.

Beatrice tries her best to control laughter while Ava rubbed her right elbow, which unfortunately was the one who broke her fall.

“Beatrice, seriously. What’s wrong. Has dating Ava driven you mad?” Lilith asks again, honestly looking concerned at her still laughing best friend.

The girl just waved her off before taking a few deep breaths, still laughing in between them. “It’s fine, we’re fine. I just found a... _sensitive_ spot.”

Lilith immediately fake gagged while Camila giggled. “You two are disgusting. At least have some decency to be alone before doing that sort of thing.” Lilith scowls before turning her attention back to the movie.

Ava glared at Beatrice before lightly slapping her arm. “You’re a dick, you know that?”

“Can’t handle it, Silva? I’m only playing your game. Don’t be mad that I’m winning.” Beatrice smirks, a competitive glint in her eyes before she rests her hand on Ava’s thigh. Just as Ava had done to her in the car before meeting her parents.

Ava only glared harder and refused to give Beatrice the satisfaction of knowing that her hand was indeed very distracting. She tried not to focus on it and leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms and not making a move to move closer to Beatrice.

But Beatrice didn’t mind. She had other plans. “What’s wrong, Ava? Didn’t you start this? I must admit, it did feel good to have your hand on my thigh. I’m only returning the favor. I just want you to feel good too.” Beatrice says in _that_ innocent tone again. And Ava hates that it’s making her squirm.

She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, internally screaming at herself to get a hold of it before she combusts. She’s Ava Silva for fuck’s sake. How could someone as shy and soft spoken as Beatrice make her feel like _this?_ It’s not fair!

“Why have your eyes closed, Ava? I’m not even doing anything to you yet.” Beatrice allows her voice to have a teasing undertone before slowly running a finger along Ava’s inner thigh.

Ava’s eyes snapped open. “I have to pee!” She suddenly shouts as she scurries off to the bathroom.

The two looked over at Beatrice who was now alone, already laughing again while Lilith rolled her eyes.

“She knows she doesn’t need to announce her emptying her bladder out loud, right?”

Camila furrowed her eyebrows, very confused as to why Ava was suddenly acting that way. “She usually doesn’t.”

Beatrice just continues to laugh to herself, knowing she earned a pat on her back for being able to one up Ava. She was _definitely_ going to start doing it more.

Meanwhile Ava just paced around her bathroom, muttering curse words at herself before let out a frustrated growl. “Damn it, Ava. What the fuck are you doing? Why aren’t you fighting back? It’s only Beatrice, for fuck’s sake! You don’t even like her that way! Why is she affecting you so much?”

She stops in front of the sink and looks at herself in the mirror. She needed to snap out of this. She _needs_ to get back at Beatrice. She refuses to lose.

“Find an opening and shoot.” She mumbles before turning the tap on and splashing her face with cold water, trying to hype herself up. “You got this.”

She dries her face with a towel before taking a deep breath and headed back to her room, wordlessly sitting herself down next to Beatrice on the couch.

“Why hello there, bub. I missed you.” Beatrice smiles before sliding closer to Ava, who instantly freezed up again. _‘Fuck! Fucking hell! Fight back! Fight back, stupid! Don’t fall for it!’_

“I wasn’t gone that long, Bea.” Ava tries not to let her voice shake, keeping her eyes on the movie that she barely even watched before her head was turned by Beatrice’s hand.

“I want you to look me in the eyes when I’m talking to you.” Beatrice orders, making sure to keep her voice soft yet firm.

And despite Ava’s best efforts, she gave in and looked Beatrice in the eye. The other girl was delighted when Ava sighed in defeat. “Alright, fine. You win this round.” Ava begrudgingly admits before looking away. “Now please stop and shut up so we can just watch the movie in peace.”

Beatrice smiles brightly before grabbing the bowl of popcorn and settling comfortably on the couch, wanting to actually watch her movie now. “Better luck next time, Ava. I expect you to bring your A game.”

Ava shot her a look before grabbing her pack of gummy worms, mumbling about Beatrice not playing fair and cheating in order to win. Beatrice let it go, since she was too busy celebrating her victory.

They spent the next couple of hours like that, finishing off Beatrice’s movie before watching Beauty and the Beast.

“Belle gives off Beatrice vibes, doesn’t she?” Camila wonders out loud at some point, and Lilith immediately agreed.

“Yes and that means that Ava is an ugly beast. Very fitting, if I do say so myself.”

“Hey!”

After the movie, Ava insists that she’ll do the cleaning so the others could get come. It was getting late, and they all still had homework to finish. Ava walks them outside and opens the gate for them, waving at Camila and Lilith as they back out of the driveway.

“Let me know once you’re home, Cam.” Ava smiles and the shorter girl nods from behind the wheel.

“I will! I’ll just drop _princesa_ off at her place.” She giggles while Lilith sank down in the passenger seat to hide her face. It seems that the pet name would be staying. “Aren’t you going home yet, Bea?”

Beatrice was still standing beside Ava, shaking her head slightly and smiling. “Not yet, I just need to have another make out session with my girlfriend.”

Ava immediately nudges her away, seeing Camila’s eyes widen slightly and Lilith hit her forehead against the the window.

“For fuck’s sake, Silva! Stop corrupting my best friend!”

“I didn’t tell her to say that!” Ava says, trying to defend herself before waving Camila off. “Just go before I get a headache and strangle Lilith.”

Her best friend gives the pretend couple one last smile before driving off, leaving the two alone. Ava turns to Beatrice with a glare once it was safe. “I already said you won, no need to rub it in my face. I’m just not feeling well today!”

Beatrice laughs softly before nodding. “Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ava.”

“It’s true! You little weasel.”

Beatrice just smiles at her. Despite the day not being planned, she really did enjoy it. Ava could be a pain, but she was definitely good company. _‘Not to mention the fact that she looks adorable when she blushes.’_ Her mind tells her before the smile fell off her face. _‘Wait, what?’_

She then clears her throat before gesturing to her car. “I should head home. My parents were expecting me hours ago.”

Ava allowed herself to smile as she walks Beatrice to the driver’s side. “Damn. You’re really pushing the whole rebellious thing, huh? You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“I will. I’ll text you when I’ve made it safely into my bedroom.” Beatrice nods before unlocking the door and sliding into her seat. “Thank you for today, Ava. I actually had a lot of fun. And thank you for introducing me to your family.”

Ava rolled her eyes playfully. “Well you let me meet yours.”

“And it’s surprising that you’re still around after.”

“Touché.” Ava nods before letting out a breath. “I hope you know that I’ll be fighting back harder now. Just because you won today’s round, doesn’t mean you’ll win again. I’m chalking it down to beginner’s luck.”

Beatrice chuckles and shakes her head. “Well then good luck, Ava. I’ve barely started. Try not to fall in love with me so quickly.”

Ava smiles and takes a step back as Beatrice starts the car. “You wish, my little bumblebee. Drive safe, okay?”

“I will. Thank you again. And say goodbye to Michael for me.”

With that, Beatrice backs out and drives off. Ava watched until she can no longer see the car before closing up the gates and making her way back inside and up her room.

“Ava, you’re fucked.” She whispers to herself as her mind drifts off to Beatrice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know, man.


	9. For Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava and Beatrice spend some time away from the world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A filler before diving into some chaos. No crack, sorry!

Anyone who was seeing Ava right now would definitely confirm that she was like a cat before pouncing at its prey.

She did her best to stay hidden in the corner of the hall, peeking out to check on Beatrice who was very focused on tidying up her locker. _‘Pfft. Typical adorable dork.’_ Her mind scoffs. She did that little wiggle thing, a huge grin on her face before finally darting out from her hiding spot. She rushed behind Beatrice and wrapped her arms around her waist, all while screaming, “Give me all your love and affection and no one gets hurt!”

Of course, anyone who knew Beatrice knew never to sneak up on her. It was just a bad call overall.

Startled, Beatrice didn’t even think twice before elbowing the person behind her. _Hard._ Unfortunately for Ava, Beatrice was taller than her so instead of her elbow connecting to just her stomach, it hit her chest as well. She let out a pained yelp, which did not go unnoticed by the people around.

“Fuck, Beatrice!” Ava wheezed, all the air knocked out of her all at once as she drops down onto the floor clutching her stomach.

Everyone stopped for a moment, checking out what was happening while Lilith laughed uncontrollably tried to wave them away.

“Ava!” Beatrice called out as soon as she realized what had happened, dropping the book she was holding before kneeling down beside Ava, guilt and worry etched across her face. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was you!”

Lilith, having enjoyed what she just witnessed, continued to laugh before speaking. “Nothing to see here, people! Get on with your lives, go on. Just a gay idiot being extra stupid. Go go, mind your own lives.”

“Why would you do that, you dolt! I could’ve hurt you for real!” Beatrice scolds as she rubs Ava’s back, actually feeling bad as she watches the girl try to regain her breath.

Ava groans, finally able to sit up properly as she rubs the spot Beatrice’s elbow hit. “What, that hurt wasn’t real yet? What the fuck, Bea?”

“You snuck up on me! I told you not to do that!”

“I was trying to be cute!”

“You getting hit and falling down was pretty cute to me, if it helps. So I say mission accomplished.” Lilith says with an amused grin, clapping her hands slowly while Ava glared at her.

“Bitch.” She mumbles before Beatrice stands back up and offers her a hand. She takes it and pulls herself up, smoothening down her clothes after.

Lilith looks at the two of them before letting out a breath. “You know, it’s actually a bit odd that you two aren’t used to each other’s presence yet. Like it always surprises you when the other suddenly pops out of nowhere.”

The two looked at each other, a bit panicked that Lilith noticed something like that. They hid it to the best of their abilities, of course. And it was Ava who made up the excuse.

“Well excuse us for being gay messes for each other. Do you not see Beatrice? Girl is hot. Literally anyone would be surprised when she comes up.” Ava nods, smirking when she sees Beatrice look away with pink cheeks. “Absolutely gorgeous. Like an angel just gracing everyone with her presence. I’m still surprised that I managed to snag someone like her.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes and pushed Ava away slightly. “Shut up, be normal. No one talks like that.”

“It’s disgusting.” Lilith remarks, scrunching up her nose before adjusting her bag and walking away. “I’m leaving now, goodbye.”

Ava waits until Lilith was far enough away before moving closer to Beatrice. “Think she bought it?” She asks, but the other girl just sighs before moving to her locker again. “For now, yes. But we have to do better. Act more like a couple. She’ll be suspicious sooner or later.”

“Told you the no kissing rule is stupid. Come on, why can’t we just do that already? People are gonna realize sooner or later that we’re not like, making out and stuff.” Ava nods, a small part of her hoping that Beatrice would just say yes already and she can get lips.

Beatrice’s jaw tightened before closing her locker and turning around to face Ava. “Because we have rules. And no kissing means no kissing.” She just couldn’t admit that she hadn’t had her first kiss yet.

That was really the only reason why the rule was up. She didn’t know how to kiss, and she wasn’t about to reveal that to Ava of all people. She also wasn’t going to have Ava be her first kiss. No matter how cute and fun the girl actually is.

“I would _destroy_ you if there was kissing involved. Honestly screw you for taking away one of my advantages of winning this bet.” Ava says the last part quietly, pouting slightly. “Are you sure you haven’t fallen for me yet?”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. She finds that she’s been doing that more and more now that she was around Ava. “Yes, Ava. I’m quite sure of it.” Her voice says, but her mind thinks differently. Although technically, having a crush did not mean falling.

“You’re a good liar, Bea. But don’t worry, I know I’ll get you to admit it one of these days.” Ava nods, smiling at Beatrice.

“Mhm. Sure, if that’s what you think.” Beatrice mused before tilting her head in question. “So? Why did you come up to me all of a sudden? Did you just want to give me a heart attack?”

“No!” Ava sticks her tongue out at her. “No, I came to tell you that we have a date. I wanna take you somewhere. I’m warning you now though, you might fall in love with me after. But also, you have to drive us there.”

Beatrice laughs and shakes her head. “Ava you know I have to get some studying done. My parents are already furious with me for skipping dinners and practices to hang out with you.”

“Are they still leaving those boarding school pamphlets everywhere?”

“Yes but they’re adding more and more each day. How to become a nun and Catholic camp and conversion therapy and everything.” Beatrice answers. She would have been terrified if she had seen them before she was rebelling. But somehow, she wasn’t even bothered by it. Okay, the conversion therapy did freak her out a little. But who wouldn’t be?

“I really should just flip them off next time I see them. Honestly, the nerve.”

Ah, yes. That was the reason for her braveness. Ava was more than just a pretend girlfriend at this point, even if Beatrice didn’t want to admit it even to herself. Ava was giving her the confidence she needed to tell her parents no and to just disregard what they told her to do in favor of doing what she wanted. Having Ava around means more to her than she’s letting on.

“Well maybe you’ll get your chance soon. I have an archery competition coming up. And since they’ll be there, attendance for you is required.” Beatrice smiles before they start walking down the hall so they can leave.

Ava brightens up when she hears that before snaking her arm around Beatrice’s waist and pulling her close. They were still in school, after all. Still had to keep the charade up for their audience. “You know I wouldn’t miss it even if they weren’t there. I’ll block off an entire section for your cheering squad, in which I am the captain of. Obviously.”

“Obviously.” Beatrice shakes her head, the sarcasm clear in her voice.

That didn’t seem to affect Ava, who was already excited about the whole thing. “Ooh! And Michael can help me make signs and banners! I bet Lilith would wear face paint if I tell her to. After all, it’s in support of you.”

“Please do not go overboard. It’s not that big of a deal. The team we’re up against aren’t even our biggest rivals of the season.” Beatrice says as they walk towards the parking lot, by now used to Ava clutching onto her that it didn’t bother her anymore.

“What do you mean don’t go overboard? That’s what girlfriends are supposed to do! I’m gonna wear a shirt with your—“

“AVA!”

The two girls stopped walking suddenly and turned to the voice. Beatrice didn’t recognize the tall boy with the tan skin, but it seemed that that wasn’t the case for Ava.

“JC? JC!!” She shouts, a big smile on her face as she practically ripped her arm away from Beatrice to run towards the guy.

He caught Ava in his arms, picking her up with ease and spinning her around as they laughed and hugged. Beatrice felt like an outsider, and she didn’t like how he just showed up out of nowhere and take away all of Ava’s attention.

_‘What the hell? That smile is supposed to be for me. Even if it’s just for show.’_ Her mind growls as she watches the two as the guy sets Ava back down on her feet.

And Beatrice couldn’t help but feel some joy when she sees Ava punch him in the shoulder. “What the hell! Chanel didn’t tell me you were coming back into town!”

He smiles at Ava as he rubs his shoulder, clearly not noticing that Ava was with someone else. “She didn’t know. I didn’t tell anyone, actually. I wanted to make sure that I was actually coming and now here I am. I’m about to go meet up with Zori and then the others. Have a little reunion. I expect you to be there too, of course. My favorite girl can’t be missing to my homecoming.”

Ava was just about to say something when Beatrice cleared her throat, standing there with an eyebrow raised and looking impatient.

“Oh! Oh, JC! I want you to meet someone.” Ava says as she grabs his hand and drags her closer to Beatrice. _‘Finally.’_ Beatrice thinks as Ava smiles at her before gesturing to the boy.

“Bea, this is JC. Not sure if you know him but he used to go to school here. Took me under his wing on my first day.” Ava says happily as she recalls the memory of the day they met. “And JC, this is my friend, Beatrice.”

Beatrice furrowed her eyebrows when she heard that word. _Friend_. Since when was she just a friend? By now, Ava was used to introducing her as her _girlfriend_. Not just a _friend_. Wait, why does she care this much anyway?

“Wow. Look at you, Silva. I was gone for two minutes and you’re already making friends with the rich top tier students that we used to make fun of.” JC teased, making Ava shove him slightly and laugh. JC then turned to Beatrice and held a hand out. “No offense. It really isn’t bad, I swear.”

Of course, Beatrice wasn’t exactly fond of the information. Nonetheless, she wanted to act civil so she shook his hand anyway. “Ava never mentioned you before. But I’ve gotten to meet your other friends.”

“Really? She hasn’t? Rude.” He says the last part to Ava, who only rolled her eyes. “Shut up, you know I still love you. Now about that little homecoming party of yours—“

“Love?” Beatrice interrupts, wanting to shut whatever it is that was going on between Ava and this JC guy. “Didn’t you say you had a date planned out for us?”

JC switched his gaze from Ava to Beatrice, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Love?”

Beatrice answers for Ava, just in case she said friend again. “Yes, I’m Ava’s girlfriend.” She says, a smile playing on her lips.

“Oh.” JC mumbles before a smile broke out. “Oh! Dude! That’s so great! I didn’t even know you were into girls. Congrats! Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks as he turns to Ava.

“Didn’t want to hurt your fragile heart in case you haven’t moved on from me yet.” Ava teased, laughing a little after. “But yeah, Beatrice is right. We do have a date, and she really is my girlfriend. I’m sorry, I wish I would’ve known you were coming to town.”

But JC waved her off. “No, no. It’s fine. You go on ahead and have fun, we can always party another time. Preferably without telling your mother this time around. She scares me.”

Ava laughs and nods. “Yeah, I’d like that. I’ll catch you later, okay? Text me.” She steps closer and gives him a hug before letting go, and he in turn leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“See you around, Silva.” He smiles before waving at Beatrice. “Nice to meet you, Beatrice. You’re a lucky girl. Although I do have to warn you, you’re in for a crazy ride with this one. If you’re curious, get my number from her and I’ll tell you about the time she broke into—“

“Okay! That’s enough! No, go away! Shut up, shhh!” Ava suddenly interrupts by pushing him away as he laughs. “Oh come on! I’m sure Beatrice will be very entertained with my stories about you! Remember when you snuck into that abandoned—“

“No! Stop! I’ll beat you up!” She threatens before successfully getting him away from Beatrice.

“This isn’t over!” He calls out as he walks away, but Ava just flips him off despite the smile on her face. She then turns around and faces Beatrice.

“Alright, back on schedule! Let’s go, _love.”_ She emphasized, no doubt gearing up to tease Beatrice.

Beatrice rolled her eyes as she takes out her keys, unlocking the car once they were in range. “It doesn’t work on you, you know. Stick to your babes and bumblebees.”

“How dare you, I could totally rock an English accent!”

“Please, no. Not again. Last time was horrific.”

“Okay well, rude.”

They then got into the car, teasing and bickering all the way to wherever Ava was planning to go. By now, Beatrice was used to just following the directions Ava was giving instead of questioning over and over again since Ava wouldn’t tell her anything anyway.

“You’re planning on murdering me and hiding my body out here, aren’t you?” Beatrice asks once Ava had her stop near a trail. They were surrounded by large trees, and honestly the place just looked abandoned.

“Were my parents right? Are you really a bad influence who will only bring me trouble?”

Ava rolled her eyes and got out of the car. “Just trust me, alright? You’ll love it. Which is exactly what I’m going for because it’ll make you love me.”

“Never gonna happen.” Beatrice answers once she was out, making sure to lock the car just in case someone was out here. She just hoped they wouldn’t break a window and take the car because she did _not_ want to be stranded in the woods.

“It’ll happen sooner or later. Now hurry up!” Ava says excitedly before running off to the trail, making Beatrice follow after her.

“Not so fast! I don’t have the proper shoes on for a hike!”

“Just hurry up, golden girl! You don’t need different shoes!” Ava calls from her shoulder, making sure to keep track of where they were. She passes along several marked trees, all of which she followed. She finally turned away from the trail, and that just had Beatrice concerned.

She voiced it out. “Ava? Are you sure we should be here? This isn’t a marked trail, and we’ll have a hard time leaving once the sun goes down. Also, I have to get home earlier than usual. I have an test tomorrow that I need to study for.”

Ava looks back and slows down, just enough so she can take Beatrice’s hand. “Relax, Bea! I know where I’m going, and the trees are marked. Took me forever to carve out signs and shit but it was worth it. We’ll only be an hour or two.”

“I’m gonna be really pissed if you just brought me out here to use me as a sacrifice for the devil or something.”

“You can be really dramatic. You know that, right?”

“That’s _your_ fault. I’ve been hanging around you for too long.”

“And yet you continue to be around me anyway. What’s that telling you, Beatrice?”

Beatrice was about to answer before realizing that she actually couldn’t find the words to do so. Ava had a point. What exactly _is_ that telling her? She can’t have a crush on Ava, much less fall in love with her. That would mean losing. And Beatrice _never_ loses at anything. Especially not to someone like Ava, who she knows is just playing a sick game with her heart. This is why she needed to keep her guard up.

Luckily, before Ava could notice that Beatrice had gone quiet, they reached a clearing. A little hidden paradise away from everyone. In the middle of the woods was a very large pond, the sun hitting the water and making it sparkle. It wasn’t clear, but it was a dark undisturbed shade of blue that meant it was deep. She tried not to picture Ava accidentally falling in due to clumsiness. Because honestly, she probably would just laugh.

“Woah.” Beatrice mumbled, her eyes taking the scene in. Although what made her wonder is why there was an actual dock there. Had someone actually come here and took the time to build that? If so, were they trespassing?

Ava smiles excitedly before letting go of Beatrice’s hand so she can place both of her hands on her waist. “I know, right?” She says as she looks around, clearly very fond of the place.

Beatrice then looks at Ava, the curious glint in her eyes apparent. “How do you even know about this place? Do you regularly come to the woods?”

“No, of course not. Not until I found this place. Well, even then, I’m not always here.” She answers before motioning for Beatrice to follow. She walked towards the short dock, taking in her surroundings while doing so.

“It’s sort of just an escape. I actually came across this place when I was able to walk again. It wasn’t always smooth sailing after getting cured.” She starts as she sits down crossed legged at the end of the dock. Beatrice comes closer and sits next to her, nodding for her to continue.

“See, the deal was that if everything worked out, and all the research was done, I would go back to the orphanage. And that meant staying there until I aged out of the system. Or until I got adopted, which was unlikely given my age. I didn’t want to go back, of course. Not yet, at least. I knew it was coming, and I forced myself to accept it. So instead of running away, I just took a little adventure of my own. Granted, I didn’t know where exactly I was going. I just sort of ran and ran until I somehow stumbled across this place.” She shrugs, glancing over at Beatrice and smiling a little.

“I’ll spare you all the other boring details though. But I spent the night on this dock, looking up at the stars until they were replaced by clouds. I went back after that though. I just wanted a day for myself, outside the orphanage and away from everything else.”

Beatrice nods, but can’t help but be curious and ask. “How did you end up with your family, then?”

“Well, I was one of the main focuses on Arq-Tech. I was still being monitored, and I was still in physical therapy so they kept close tabs on me. Honestly I have no clue how I managed to escape from there but they were all looking for me, and I don’t know. Jillian just seemed very very worried about me. I could only explain what was going through my head and why I did what I did. And suddenly, my first day back at the orphanage was also my last.”

The two stayed silent after that. They just listened to the sound of the woods, looked at the calm water. And then, Beatrice moved closer and was hugging Ava.

“Bea? What’s up?” She asks, clearly confused before Beatrice pulls back and offers her a smile. “I’m just happy for you, that’s all. You got dealt a bad hand at the start but look at where you’re at now.”

Ava smiles and shakes her head, unsure of what to say to that. “After not being able to move on my own for years, I guess I grew determined. But thanks, Beatrice. And I hope you know that whatever issues you got going on with your parents, it’ll work out. It’ll be okay at the end.” She says softly as she reaches for Beatrice’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

The other girl looked out into the pond, taking a moment to find what she wanted to say. “That would be nice. But I’ve already accepted them staying like that. People like my parents don’t just change. I’m thankful that they’ve given me all the opportunities I’ve had up until now, even if it’s only for their image, but I know that one day that will stop. And I have to prepare myself to truly be alone.”

“What?” Ava furrows her eyebrows, not sure if she heard correctly. “Are you serious? Beatrice, you’ll never be alone. Just look at Lilith! She wanted to rip my head off for even getting close to you. She loves and cares about you immensely. She’s the kind of best friend that will stick around, no matter what. Even if she is a major bitch.”

Beatrice chuckles at that, still finding it amusing that Ava and Lilith hellbent on making each other’s lives difficult even though she sees that they’re slowly becoming friends.

“There’s also Mary and Shannon, who very clearly adores you. And that’s a huge deal, since they’re basically elder gays. Who make out a lot and are kind of gross when they’re getting heated. But you know, still. You’re under their care, and they’ll never leave your side. No doubt about it.”

“And now that Camila is around, you have her! She’s literally ride or die material, Bea. Anything you need help with, she’s there. I can vouch for that. But maybe don’t let her know if people are being rough on you when there are potential weapons around. Cause she can be a bit unhinged, and I’m scared she might actually shoot someone with her crossbow one day. I’ve seen her beat up people twice her size and spit on them after winning.” Ava nods, very serious about what she’s saying before laughing along with Beatrice.

“I still don’t see how she can be that scary. Where does she hide all that?”

“It’s a mystery, honestly. But trust me, you’ve got a friend for life in her.” Ava smiles before looking down and letting out a breath, unsure if she should continue. But she sucked it up and put it in her head that she won’t lose anything if she does. “And...you know. You have me now, too.”

Beatrice furrowed her eyebrows, since she was pretty sure that up until that point, she and Ava were just fake friends and fake girlfriends. That what they had between them was only the bet.

“What?”

“You heard me.” She bumps her shoulder against Beatrice’s, smiling at her again. “I know that this whole thing was built on our bet, but over time I really have come to enjoy your company. Your friendship means a lot to me, Bea. And I want you to know that you can count on me to be there for you. Always. No matter where this takes us.”

Beatrice tilts her head to the side. “What about your other friends? They don’t really seem to like me. Or my friends. And didn’t that JC guy say you used to make fun of me? Or us, rather. If Lilith and Mary find out about that, you all are gonna get sucker punched. I hope you know that.”

Ava rolled her eyes and laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll protect me from their wrath. And yes, I admit that we did sort of make fun of you guys. Just cause we all thought you were pretentious and all that rich upper class stereotypes but now that I’ve gotten to know you, I know it’s not true. You’re so much more than that, and I’m sorry that I judged you beforehand.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make you pay for it later.” Beatrice winks, before looking down at their entwined hands. “So, you and JC?”

Ava looks at her and nods slowly. “Mhm. We dated. He was my first relationship and he really was great. He took care of me, put my needs first. He showed me how to live life after the orphanage. I owe him a lot.”

She isn’t really sure why she asked, but Beatrice felt uneasy again at the thought of the two together. She knows she didn’t have a right to feel that way, so she just tried to push the emotions down. “Why did you break up?”

“Because as much as he was great, he wasn’t the best influence. I see that now.” Ava answers after a moment has passed. “Jillian never liked him. And I’m sure you’re aware by now that I don’t exactly run with the most well behaved group. Save for Camila, that girl is a saint despite the little mischievous background. We broke into places a lot, partied everywhere. Stole, too. Not something I’m proud of. Drank, smoked, had shady pills at parties that you’re not supposed to have. I ran away from home a few times.”

“You’re serious?” Beatrice questions, a look of concern all over her face.

Ava nods. “Unfortunately, yes. Things have turned around, though. And I still hang out with them, we’re still close, but I don’t let myself do all those anymore. Jillian knocked some sense into me after the Mother contacted her. Said I would be kicked out of the team if I didn’t straighten up. Scared the fuck out of me.”

The Mother. Otherwise known as Mother Superion. She ran the school with an iron fist, but everyone knew she had a soft spot for the female athletes. They were all her girls and it was made clear that she wanted nothing but the best for them.

“Camila backed Jillian up, of course. That’s why she’s around so much. Especially after school hours. We grew closer because of it. She’s more than a best friend at this point, she’s like my sister now.” Ava continues, getting a small smile as she talks about her friend. “Even if we do cause trouble every now and then. Our trouble is more acceptable than what my trouble used to be anyway.”

“That, I can agree with.” Beatrice nods before straightening up and looking around. “So! Do you take all the girls you’re fake dating here?” She asks, changing the subject into a lighter one.

Ava rolled her eyes before taking her hand from Beatrice so she can open her bag. “Why yes, I do. Considering that you’re the only girl I’ve done that with.” She says as she takes out some snacks that she always seemed to have in her bag. By now, Beatrice’s favorite ones were added in there too so they both can enjoy themselves. “I haven’t brought anyone here, actually. It’s sort of my quiet space when everything out there is getting too loud. I thought you’d appreciate it. Feel free to use it whenever you need. Even if it’s to study and read, you big nerd.”

Beatrice gasped in mock offense. “I’m no nerd! I meant do I have a posters of brilliant Scientists in my closet? Yes. But that does not mean anything.” She jokes, loving the way Ava laughs after. Beatrice never considered herself to be funny, but somehow Ava just laughs at whatever silly joke she makes and she loved it.

“Yep. Definitely a nerd. But hey, that’s alright. It’s just very _you_. And you is good. You is great and wonderful and perfect. You is also very beautiful. I’m saying these things cause I know they won’t go to your head. You’re just too humble.” Ava smiles brightly at her, and for a split second Beatrice’s heart stopped beating.

_‘Quick, say something! Don’t let her catch you falling!’_ Her mind immediately screams and out of instinct, she listened. “Unlike you, clearly. I’m afraid if I compliment you, your ego will grow. You’re already very cocky. Admittedly, not as bad as you could be. But still.”

“Hurtful.” Ava points her lollipop at Beatrice, but the fact that her smile didn’t waver meant she was only joking. “True, but hurtful. You’re one of the rare nerd bullies.”

“Oh, there are nerd bullies now, are there?”

“Yes! You! You bully me all the time, even though I’m so nice to you!”

“I can’t help it. It’s just too easy.” Beatrice smiles, allowing the familiar lightness when she was around Ava come over her.

Usually everything was so heavy. School, parents, the pressure of maintaining her reputation, her life in general. But ever since Ava came along, there was this feeling that just made everything for her lighter somehow. She knew she could relax, and she knew she could trust Ava. Some days, she forgets that there’s even a bet going on between them.

“Hey, look.” Ava nudges Beatrice back to reality, pointing out to the horizon where the sun was beginning to set. The sky was a morphing into a brilliant mix of orange, pink, and the quickly retreating light blue. Watching the sun fall was always a treat, and everything was suddenly very quiet and peaceful in their little bubble.

“I won’t lie to you. This feeling, watching the sunset, it’s how I feel when I’m around you. Calm. At peace. It’s like I feel your whole life vibrating with mine.” Ava says softly as she stares at the dying sun.

And Beatrice decides right then that for now, she was going to be selfish and enjoy this time with Ava. She wasn’t going to think of the bet. She just wanted Ava to be hers and for her to be Ava’s. Even if it meant that at the end, she would lose. Even if it meant heartbreak.

She contemplated for a while before looking over at Ava and leaning in, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. When Ava turned and smiled at her, she could only smile back. “For practice.” She whispers, recalling what Ava said to her when she had done the same thing.

Ava nods, not questioning it further. “For practice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now nominate my chaos twin to update their fic/s. I know you know who you are and I know you're reading this. Don't worry, I'll be attacking you in your dms as well. I just wanted to call you out publicly :)


	10. Little Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Avatrice for your souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dunno what happened here since i was sleep deprived and a bit drunk when i wrote most of this

The days flew by quickly after their day in the woods. A bit too quickly, for Beatrice’s taste. She had wanted to stay in that little bubble with Ava, but of course she wouldn’t have her way. Instead, she had to settle for the day to day activities with school and all her extra stuff _while_ trying to fit in time with Ava. Which admittedly, was becoming easier and easier every day. Even if it was just Ava making the effort to sit beside her while she studied.

Because of that, she knew she had to make it up to Ava somehow. And that day has finally come. She was never one for student events, but the school fair was coming up and Ava has already expressed her excitement. How could she break Ava’s heart and not agree to accompany her? That would just be cruel.

Although her archery competition did happen to land on the same day as the fair, so they agreed to divide the time. The morning was for Beatrice, the evening was for Ava. She was okay with that. Especially since it meant that she would get to be with Ava for the whole day and night and even the day after.

Beatrice didn’t know what to expect as she got ready for her competition. Ava had already told her before that she’d be there, as the captain of Beatrice’s own personal cheering squad, but she didn’t expect Ava to come decked out in the school colors along with a large banner saying **‘YOU PUT THE B IN BULLSEYE!!!’** which wasn’t really clever and was frankly a bit stupid but it was very on brand of Ava so Beatrice let it slide.

It was also very on brand of Ava to immediately scream _“YEAH THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND EVERYONE LOOK AT BEATRICE SHE’S MY GIRLFRIEND AND SHE’S GOING TO WIN!”_ as soon as Beatrice stepped up to the line to begin the match.

To say that Beatrice’s parents were horrified was an understatement. They knew about Ava already, and were already very unhappy, but they didn’t expect her to come to the competition. In hindsight, bringing along some people for the press was a mistake on their part. The other girls had to try their best to calm Ava down with her loud cheering. Multiple times.

The reporters didn’t let it go unnoticed. And while Beatrice’s parents didn’t answer a single question about it, it would still surely make it to whatever news outlet they’d put it in. After all, a star athlete with a bright future being openly gay? With a miracle girl and top athlete as a girlfriend? It would be big news for sure.

And really, it was no surprise that Beatrice and her team won. The other time might have already expected that as well, since Beatrice hasn’t lost a game in the season. Or lost _anything_ , really. As soon as they were done celebrating, Ava had run up to Beatrice and practically tackled her in a hug in the middle of everyone.

Her parents be damned. She _wanted_ this.

They didn’t know how long they’ve been embracing, but once they had pulled away they were just staring at each other. Both had bright smiles, and one could say that that’s the happiest they’ve ever seen Beatrice. It didn’t go unnoticed by her parents.

“Bea! You were so awesome! I knew you’d win! What did I tell you? You were perfect! I’m so proud of you!” Ava says excitedly as she cradled Beatrice’s face in her hands, wanting to just look at smiling Beatrice for as long as she could.

“I think you’ve made that very clear.” Beatrice points to the banner and all the other signs their friends were holding up, laughing a little when she actually got a good look at Lilith who really had face paint on. How Ava got her to do the school colors, Beatrice will never know. “Thank you, Ava. No one has ever supported me like this before.”

Ava just grins at her and was about to say something before someone clears their throat, interrupting their little moment. They both look to see who it was before meeting the gaze of Beatrice’s father.

He doesn’t acknowledge Ava, just choosing to nod at his daughter. “Beatrice. Job well done on beating your competitors. I will be giving you notes later during dinner, as always. Your stance was off today.”

“Dude are you serious? Your daughter brought _another_ win for the school and all you have to say is _nice job here’s what you did wrong?_ ” Ava snaps, suddenly glaring at the man who clearly looked appalled by the tone.

“I beg your pardon? I said no such thing.”

“You might as well have!”

“Ava,” Beatrice interrupts, taking her hand and squeezing it in an attempt to calm her down. “It’s alright. Why don’t you go to the girls? It looks like they’re waiting for us. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

“But—“

“Please.” Beatrice adds, giving Ava a look that said _I’ll be fine._

The other girl sighs before nodding. “Fine. See you in a few.” She mumbles before glancing at Beatrice dad. She smirks to herself and leaned up to give Beatrice a kiss on the cheek, knowing full well it will bother him. “Hurry up though, babe. We have to go celebrate your win. And I have a very _special_ reward I want to do to you.”

Beatrice couldn’t help the redness that crept up her cheeks before Ava skipped away, happily reuniting with their friends so they could wait for Beatrice together. She watches them for a few seconds before looking up at her father. They remained silent until her mother came along, having sent the reporters away.

“I hope you’re happy, Beatrice. By this time tomorrow everyone in our circle will catch wind of your little _friend_.” Her mother practically hissed, and it took all of Beatrice not to roll her eyes.

“Mother, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again. Ava is my _girlfriend._ ” She emphasizes, although knowing her parents would never accept it. “And so what? You’re that afraid of your friends knowing that you have a lesbian daughter?”

This time, it was her father who spoke up. “You are no such _thing_ , Beatrice. You’re lucky that your mother and I are being patient through this little phase of yours. But this _will_ be temporary. We don’t need you bringing this family down even more than you already have.” Even through the practiced calm voice, the harshness of the words were evident. “We will see you at home for dinner.”

But Beatrice grew to be stubborn now. She was getting used to defying her parents and she loved the feeling of it. “No. I’m not coming to dinner. The school fair is tonight, and I will be with Ava the entire time. Should we end up staying late, I will be going home with her.”

“Beatrice. We will not be spoken to like this. We knew you’d be a disappointment but never intentionally.” Her mother gives her a pointed look which normally gets her to shut up and do what they say but much to their surprise, Beatrice just stood her ground.

“We can have dinner together tomorrow night if you and father are not busy. But tonight, I am. I earned my night tonight, and I deserve to have fun with my friends and my girlfriend.” She responds, meeting the gaze of her parents head on before nodding to them. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I best be leaving.”

With that, she stepped away from her parents and walked towards her friends. They all greeted and congratulated her on her win, and she just can’t help but look at her best friend who still had the school colors on all over her face.

“Pretty great, huh? Can you believe I had to rock paper scissors her for it?” Ava laughs while Lilith glares at her, which really doesn’t do much.

“I hate her. Beatrice, I hate your pet and I hate that she can anticipate my moves.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “No, you just always choose rock.”

“Because it’s the strongest competitor out of the three!”

“Not for paper,” Ava points out, a smug look on her face before Lilith tries to strangle her. The girls immediately separated the two, with Beatrice pulling Ava behind her protectively while Camila held tightly onto Lilith’s belt. Mary and Shannon just laughs, holding the banner and posters they all had.

Beatrice took notice and tilted her head out of curiosity. “Did you guys make all that?”

It was Shannon who answered. “No, it was mostly Ava and Camila. We met up earlier and we _thought_ we would just be cheering like always but we were given individual signs to hold. And flash cards of chants but we agreed to save it for next time.”

“Your little angel really stepped it up. Shannon never cheers me on with signs and banners and shouts for me from the stands.” Mary says before smirking. “Well, she _does_ shout my name when we—“

Shannon immediately shoves her before she could finish her sentence. “Mary! No! We have children present.” She gestures to Camila and Ava, who were both cracking up at the implication. “And how can I cheer for you when we’re _both_ on the same team? I’m on the field the same time as you!”

“Fair point, but still.”

“We’re getting off track here.” Beatrice says before taking the signs that Shannon was holding. “I can’t believe you guys had two signs each. Ava, Camila, were you two just bored?”

“No, we wanted to support you! Camila did all the glitters and flashy designs, and Michael colored most of them in and did some drawings.” Ava smiles at her before Lilith rolled her eyes.

“She was hoping you’d give her your tongue after the match.”

“Shut up, Lilith!”

Beatrice looks at them, confused. “Why would I give Ava my tongue?”

Mary leans closer to Beatrice and lowered her voice. “She wanted you to make out with her with tongue.”

“No!” Ava immediately tried to tackle a laughing Mary. Lilith tried to pull Ava off once she had jumped on Mary’s back, while Camila and Shannon tried not to laugh at Beatrice’s red face and embarrassed look. They obviously failed.

“In all seriousness, why didn’t you make out immediately after?” Shannon asks teasingly.

“The better question would be is why do they never make out at all?” Mary follows up as she still tries to shake Ava off of her back.

Beatrice’s heart began to race as her mind finds an excuse to use. She knew her friends would catch on eventually, but she hoped they never would. So instead she just walks over to Ava and gets her off Mary’s back, intertwining their hands together so Ava doesn’t go jumping on people’s backs again.

Ava sees the redness on Beatrice’s cheeks so she decides to answer for her. “We’re just not that kind of people in public. We prefer to do our business privately.”

“Unlike you and Mary.” Beatrice says to Shannon, who put a hand over her heart for dramatic effect.

“What is this? Our innocent little Beatrice? Answering back?”

“While she isn’t wrong about the public displays of affection from the elder gays, we can all blame Ava for Beatrice’s behavior now.” Lilith announces, and everyone nodded. Including Beatrice.

“Hey! I thought you were on my side?” Ava pouts, making Beatrice laugh and smile. “I am, but you really are a bad influence. Nonetheless, I’ll stick around.”

“This is boring me. Can we go now?” Lilith asks before Camila nudges her a bit and smiles.

“You want to take the face paint off, don’t you?”

Without the face paint, people would’ve seen clearly how much Lilith was blushing. “Yes, please.”

Camila smiles brightly before taking Lilith’s hand. “I’m going to help her wash it off. We’ll see you guys later? We’re all heading to the fair, right?”

“Absolutely!” Ava answers, practically bouncing on the spot.

“Mhm. Gives us just enough time to sleep more.” Mary mumbles while Shannon rolls her eyes. “Right. _Sleeping._ Not doing whatever explicit message you just sent me.”

“Shan, that’s private!”

“Gross.” Ava decides before waving to the other girls. “We’re gonna leave before you take Shannon right here. Bye!”

She then drags Beatrice away, only turning back to their friends to flip Mary off who called out something about her and Shannon being the best couple.

“You know technically, they aren’t wrong. They’re the only ones who are _actually_ a couple.” Beatrice says once they were far enough away.

Ava rolls her eyes and adjusts Beatrice’s bag on her shoulder, having insisted that she carry it and be a gentlewoman-ly girlfriend. “Yeah but they don’t need to know that. We’re already hottest couple, and they aren’t getting best. One day, we’ll be ruling this school with our powerful lesbianism.”

“Aren’t you bisexual?”

“Not the point!”

And despite Ava wanting Beatrice to relax and take it easy, she couldn’t exactly drive. So she lets Beatrice do all the driving, but she makes up for it after they get home. It was days like these when Beatrice completely forgot that her and Ava weren’t a real couple. Because everything they did certainly seemed real.

The jokes, the smiles, the gentle touches. Jillian and Michael loved having Beatrice over, and would always make a point to spend time with her or at the very least have a conversation. Ava treats her way too good. Letting her stay and relax in her bed while she gathers up food and drinks for them. She takes care of all the getting up just as long as Beatrice plays with her hair when they watch a movie or just talk or read.

Much to Beatrice’s displeasure, they eventually had to get up and get ready to go to school again.

“Give me one good reason why we should leave your comfortable bed and warm covers to mingle around with loud obnoxious children.”

“Bea they’re our age.”

“That doesn’t excuse the loud and obnoxious bit, does it?”

Ava rolls her eyes before grabbing Beatrice’s hands and tries to drag her out from the covers. “Let’s go, my antisocial little weirdo.”

“You do realize I’m taller _and_ older than you?”

“Fine. Come on then, grandma.”

Beatrice grumbled under her breath, not really liking that she’s not getting what she wants. She was already feeling spoiled and bratty today, so she decides to push it just a bit further. She flips her wrists and breaks out of Ava’s hold before grabbing her by the waist, pulling her down onto the bed.

She laughs at the little squeak Ava let out before locking their legs together and throwing an arm over Ava’s midsection, her head right over Ava’s chest to keep her where she is. “See? This is much better than some ride, don’t you think?”

Ava looks down, clearly surprised by how Beatrice is acting. She hasn’t really been this clingy before, but Ava can’t deny how cute it is. So she smiles and runs a hand through Beatrice’s hair. “Yes, it is much better. But we can do this all the time. The fair only lasts for the weekend, and you’re very busy tomorrow which means you can’t come then.”

“I don’t like you being the logical one.” Beatrice mumbles as she focuses on Ava’s heartbeat.

Ava laughs, leaning down to kiss the top of Beatrice’s head. “I know, I know. But that’s your doing and you know it. Now please, can we go to the fair? I promise, you can get your cuddles in later. You’re staying over tonight, aren’t you? I’ll even watch whatever documentary you want to see.”

“Really?” Beatrice looks up, smiling brightly at Ava. She’s been doing that a lot lately. Just smiling, looking happy. Everyone has noticed it. It’s probably why they’re selling the whole fake dating thing.

“Really.” Ava promises before placing a kiss on Beatrice’s forehead. “Now let’s go, I want some cotton candy! And we promised Michael that we’ll bring him back a giant stuffed animal from one of the booths. He’s counting on us.”

After a deep sigh, Beatrice finally nods and gets off of Ava. She’d never admit it out loud, but she already missed the warm contact. “Alright, for Michael. And for your love of candy floss.”

“Thank you.” Ava smiles before getting off the bed and putting her shoes on.

It didn’t take long until they were walking out the door and driving back to school for the fair.

“Cam says they’re already there. Although she told us to hurry, because Mary and Shannon were seen making out on the ferris wheel and they wouldn’t get off. Lilith needs your help or something.” Ava says as she keeps her eyes on her phone screen while Beatrice drives.

“Lilith knows there’s nothing we could do now that those two are devouring each other. Might as well tell her and Camila to enjoy the fair together.”

Ava looks up from her phone. “By the way, what’s our situation here? Since it’s a public thing, we’re obviously supposed to be there as girlfriends on a date. But are we hanging out with the two or are we gonna force them to go on a little date of their own?”

“Lilith’s been really good with Camila recently. She’s not as much of a mess. I say we stay with them for a little while before breaking off on our own. They should enjoy some time together.”

Beatrice doesn’t say that she just wants to spend some time alone with Ava. That’s all she’s ever wanted recently, which should really alarm her. But she wanted to soak up the feeling as much as possible and not feel guilty about it. She didn’t know that Ava felt the exact same way.

“Good plan, Bea. It’ll give you time to win me some prizes.” Ava grins, rubbing her hands together as they near the school. The other girl just rolls her eyes but smiles, already knowing she’s going to end up playing most of the games there in order to make Ava happy.

“And who says I’ll be giving you said prizes?” Beatrice teases as she finds a suitable spot to park. “I’m giving them all to your brother.”

“No you won’t.”

“No I won’t.” Beatrice sighs, rolling her eyes at Ava’s smug smirk. She gets out of the car once they were parked, shooting a look towards Ava. “You’ve turned me soft, Silva. You’ll pay for that.”

“Does that mean I’ve won?” Ava asks casually as she walks to the other side of the car to join Beatrice.

Beatrice shakes her head immediately. “Not a chance. I told you, I’m winning this thing.” She says, but adds in her mind. _‘Even though I know I’ve already lost.’_

“That makes it all the more fun once you lose.” Ava grins. _‘Pretty sure you won already.’_

“In your dreams.” Beatrice rolls her eyes before taking Ava’s hand as usual and leads her away from the parking lot.

Ava happily follows, practically skipping beside Beatrice. “Where are you gonna take me first, sweetness?”

“To get you some candy floss.” Beatrice smiles, always liking when Ava uses pet names for her. “Mostly to shut you up while we find Lilith and Camila.”

“Rude, but I’m getting candy out of it so I don’t really mind.” Ava shrugs as they walk to the nearest cart that had cotton candy. She decides that she wants blue, so Beatrice let her have her candy before starting to look for their friends. Both unaware of the eyes that were on them.

“Hey, who’s that?” A brunette girl asks as she points to Ava.

“That’s JC’s ex, Ava. The one we told you about. She used to hang out with us until she started hanging out with the rich bitches of the school.” Zori answers with a bored tone.

The girl looked intrigued, which they all noticed.

“What are you planning?” Randall asks, his eyes going from the brunette to Ava’s back.

The girl just shakes her head. “I don’t know. I just got this feeling when I saw her. I’m intrigued. I think she’ll be coming back to this group very soon.” She smiles, a plan already forming in her head while the others shake their heads.

“Forget it, Teresa. She’s practically attached to miss golden girl Beatrice now. And Camila won’t let her out of her sight, not even after school.” Chanel chimes before Teresa rolls her eyes.

“Relax. I’m just going to nudge along her homecoming here is all.”

Chanel rolled her eyes. “Good luck with that, honey. Like I’ve said to JC, let the girl be. If she wants to come back, she’ll come back.”

Teresa just keeps her eyes on Ava until she was out of sight before sighing and following her friends. The thought of Ava never left her mind, and she was going to do something about it.

“Bea! Are you sure you don’t want to try this? It’s really good!” Ava beamed as she holds up her blue cotton candy. “Fluffy goodness!”

The other girl can’t help but smile at how happy Ava got at the simplest of things. “You do know that’s only sugar, right? Eating sugar out of the bag is essentially the same as eating that.”

“But it’s not as fun!”

Beatrice rolled her eyes playfully but keeps her arm wrapped around Ava’s waist, both to lead her wherever they were going and because she wants to. Mostly the latter.

“Avatrice! Over here!”

Both turned to the voice that suddenly called out, making Beatrice chuckle when she sees that it’s Camila waving her hands around like crazy while a very out of place looking Lilith follows her.

“Did you just call us Avatrice?” Ava asks once they were close enough. “Because I fucking love that. Can we be referred to only that from now on?”

Lilith answers immediately. “No.”

“Ah, the killer of all joys. I see you haven’t changed or even lightened up around Camila. A shame, really.” Ava shakes her head before throwing her remaining cotton candy at Lilith’s face.

“You’re dead.” Lilith growled before lunging at a laughing Ava, who dodged her just in time and was now running around in order to avoid Lilith’s wrath.

Beatrice sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose for a moment before smiling at Camila, deciding to just leave the two on their own.

“So you still haven’t been able to get a hold of Mary and Shannon?”

Camila shakes her head. “They were _very_ busy with each other’s lips.”

“They always are.” Beatrice lets out a small laugh before turning to a still running Lilith, who has now started shoving people away in order to get to Ava. “And I must congratulate you, Camila, because somehow you managed to rope Lilith into coming to this. She hates after school events that doesn’t involve sports or grades.”

Suddenly, a mischievous glint appeared in Camila’s eyes. “Wanna know how I did it?”

“Enlighten me.”

“When I went to help her take the face paint off earlier, I caught her off guard and made out with her for like half an hour in the girls bathroom.”

Beatrice stared at Camila, stunned. Somehow, her mind can’t process that the sweet little being in front of her had that sort of thing lined up.

“She said yes in her little dazed state after. Well, not really said. It was more like a combination of stuttering and nodding and blushing.” Camila explains, clearly proud of herself.

Beatrice tried to shake the shock away enough to speak. “Wait—so you knew that Lilith had a thing for you?”

“I’ve known it all along.” Camila waves her off, giggling. “I just figured the innocent act would get her even more flustered. Ava thinks it’s hilarious.”

“You two are dangerous to be around.” Beatrice remarked.

Camila shrugs. “That’s what makes us fun.” She smiles before waving at Lilith. “Lily! Can we go ride the ferris wheel, please?”

Beatrice watched in amazement how Lilith suddenly stopped trying to kill Ava and immediately made her way towards Camila, who was back to the sweet and innocent act. Lilith avoided Beatrice’s amused gaze, but they both knew they were going to have to talk at a later time. Ava came up to them carefully, hiding behind Beatrice and wrapping her arms around her waist. A human shield of sorts.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook.” Lilith glared at Ava before Camila takes her hand. “Hush, we’re all just having some fun! Let’s go ride some rides!”

Ava smirks. “Try not to give Lilith a heart attack, Cam. And I may or may not be watching you two, just to see if I can spot anything...explicit. After all, Lilith could be doing something to my sweet innocent Camila.”

If it was even possible, Lilith glared harder. “I think Lilith has killed you in her mind at least six hundred different times already.” Beatrice turns slightly so she can look at Ava.

“Seven hundred eighty two times, actually. All different scenarios with different murder weapons.” Lilith grumbles, making Camila laugh.

“Let’s go, _princesa._ Let’s get some fun in you.”

“Cam you have very skilled hands. If you want to get some fun _in_ Lilith, just take her back to the car and—“ The rest of Ava’s sentence got muffled by Beatrice’s hand.

She shakes her head at Ava. “No no, let’s not tease Lilith more than we already have. I’d much prefer a girlfriend _with_ a head than without.”

“Beatrice, you’re gay. You _hate_ heads, remember? Said they’re like weird little helmets.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Beatrice exclaims, flushing.

The other three collectively laughed before Ava leaned up to kiss Beatrice’s cheek. “We’re just teasing, babe. I’m sorry. Let’s go play some games!”

They bid their goodbyes before going separate ways, Ava immediately dragging Beatrice to the nearest game booth while Camila dragged Lilith to whatever ride she wanted to go on.

And that was pretty much how they spent their night. As predicted, Beatrice went on to play games and win prizes left and right. They actually had to take a few trips to the car just to dump the growing collection of toys and stuffed animals. It was agreed that Michael would get the biggest one, which was a big baby blue bear.

Beatrice knew that she always had fun around Ava, but this time was different. Because they weren’t just friends pretending to be something more, they weren’t star athletes with reputations to keep up, they weren’t just people in a bet, at that moment they were just Ava and Beatrice. Two girls having fun and enjoying each other’s company. Seeing if there was something more between them.

She didn’t even look away anymore like she normally does when Ava would catch her staring, instead just smiling at the girl and maybe throwing in a compliment or two. Teasing compliments, but still.

And Ava wondered the entire time why she had to go and make up the stupid bet. It was no secret that they were competitive people. And they hated losing. But how do you come out winning in this? Ava’s done a lot of stupid things before, but she’s pretty sure this takes the cake.

Time passed them by again and it wasn’t long until people started gathering near the makeshift stage since the mini concert was about to start. The night was coming to an end, but they weren’t ready to slow down just yet.

“Hey, we haven’t gone on the ferris wheel yet. I think they’re about to close soon, wanna do that? I don’t feel like elbowing my way through the crowd just to listen to some band.” Ava looks at Beatrice, a permanent smile stuck on her face which the other gladly returned.

“That sounds perfect.”

Ava practically dragged Beatrice all the way there. Luckily, the line wasn’t too long and soon enough they were already sitting and looking at the view. Beatrice just didn’t notice that _the view_ for Ava meant her.

_‘Idiot, just do it. Tell her the bet is stupid and call it off.’_ Her mind tells her, and it’s almost enough to actually make her blurt it out. But Beatrice beats her to speaking.

“Thank you for making me come tonight, Ava.” She turns and places her hand on top of Ava’s, a soft smile gracing those lips that Ava just wanted to finally kiss.

“Told you you’d have fun.” Ava grins, deciding to hold back on having the serious talk with Beatrice for now. “You really should listen to me more often.”

Beatrice can’t help but roll her eyes. “Don’t get so comfortable. Just because you’ve been right about a few things doesn’t mean you’re right all the time.”

“True, that’s more your brand than mine.” Ava chuckles before deciding to intertwine their fingers. She _loved_ Beatrice’s hands. She doesn’t know why, but they’re just so attractive that it’s honestly not fair. She’s lost count of the hours she spent just staring and admiring them.

A comfortable silence fell upon them after that, and they just looked at the world below them. Somehow, everything was so far away from them. Like they were stuck in their own little world again. One of their little moments.

“Bea, listen. I like—“ Ava starts before she jumps slightly at the sudden loud exploding noise. Beatrice laughs and squeezes her hand before pointing up to the sky. “Relax, they just started the fireworks. What were you saying?”

Ava falters, confidence suddenly gone. Her mind scrambles to think of what to say. “Uhm…I just-I like it when we take pictures. Can we? Right now? This is a new view for us.”

“Of course we can. I’ll take it.” Beatrice nods before carefully taking her phone out of her pocket, refusing to let go of Ava’s hand. “Please actually smile first before doing silly poses.”

“You love those!”

“Yes, but I love the nice normal ones too. Now, come closer.”

They take a few photos, Ava smiling normally at first like Beatrice requested. They were into their sixth photo when Beatrice noticed on screen that Ava was just openly staring at her with a soft smile. She lowers her phone and turns, surprised at how close Ava actually is to her face.

“Hello.” She whispers, making Ava smile a little more.

“Hi there.”

The look in Ava’s eyes set Beatrice’s heart off like an alarm. She swears it wouldn’t take much until it actually leaped out of her chest. She could actually hear it in her ears, but she does her best to stay calm because _‘are we about to kiss right now?’_

Beatrice never really took the time to imagine what her first kiss would be like. And she certainly didn’t imagine it to be with Ava. Until recently, of course. But she didn’t know how to bring it up, say that she’s never had it and that’s why she set the no kissing rule. She almost broke it a few times, but they never really felt right.

But _this._ Their little moment right then and there with the cold air and the fireworks and whatever music the band on stage was playing, it feels like the one. It felt right.

All they had to do was lean in a little closer. Ava could practically feel Beatrice’s lips already, wanting nothing more than just to capture them in her own. She decides to push forward a little bit and—

“HEY! You two! Off the ride! You know the rules! One spin and it’s back of the line again for another turn!” The ferris wheel operator suddenly yells at them. “You’re like the girls earlier and I will not have it!”

The girls practically jumped apart, blushing like crazy and struggling to get the bar up so they can step off the ride. Beatrice mutters apologies to the operator as she passes him, not able to look at Ava because _what the hell just happened._

Still, she can’t help but feel the disappointment that their little moment was interrupted. It didn’t feel like it was planned by Ava to get Beatrice to admit her feelings, so she rules that out. Maybe they really were just about to kiss, and timing just wanted to fuck with them.

Ava clears her throat after they were far enough away, checking her watch and glancing at Beatrice. “You know, it’s getting late. Camila probably left already with Lilith, and I don’t think we’ll run into Mary and Shannon now. You want to just head home and call it a night? I’m still down for whatever boring documentary you’re gonna make me watch.”

“Yes. Yes, I’d like that. I’m sure you’ll appreciate a nice lesson on the Roman Empire.” Beatrice nods, thankful that Ava didn’t bring up whatever it was that just happened because she needed time to actually figure out what she was feeling.

“Or we can just sleep. That’s a nice lesson too, you know. Teach our bodies to be healthy.”

“My body is already healthy. Yours is the one filled with junk.”

“And yet I’m still crazy hot. Gotta admit, it’s like I’m God’s chosen one or something.”

Beatrice just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure you are.”

They didn’t acknowledge the ferris wheel incident after that. They just drove back to Ava’s house, making sure to keep quiet as they hauled all the prizes they had to Ava’s room before getting ready for bed.

And as Ava promised, Beatrice still got her cuddles in the entire night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks i hate it


	11. Hi There, Teresa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Teresa! Get to know her, you'll be seeing a lot more of her here :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since y'all keep yelling at me about Teresa, here's more of her :)
> 
> And btw, if you need a face claim for her, it's Leah Lewis in Nancy Drew.

“Hello there,” A voice chirps beside Ava.

It was a regular Monday morning at school, and Ava hasn’t seen or really talked to Beatrice since yesterday morning when she left her house after their little sleepover. Which was a given, since Beatrice has always been a very busy girl. Even before she and Ava had gotten close. But they texted when they could, and Ava would always call before Beatrice goes to sleep just to say good night. And okay, maybe to hear her voice. But no one really needed to know that.

She knew at some point that they’d see each other that morning, and she was excited for it. Sure, they hadn’t talked about their almost kiss at the ferris wheel but really, there was no rush. It’s not like either of them were going anywhere. They were tied down, and nothing could separate them now (or so she thought)

Which is why it confused Ava that the voice who greeted her by her locker didn’t have the gorgeous accent that came from childhood, and instead was a few pitches higher than she was used to. She carefully shut her locker and turned to the side, surprised that a brunette about the height of Beatrice was standing next to her.

Her hair was in two side braids, and Ava notices the tattoos running down her arms. Which was odd, given that their school was a bit strict with those. Nonetheless, she looked innocent with her smile and bright eyes. Save for the dark lipstick and dark eye makeup. And while Ava may or may not think that Beatrice is the most beautiful being to ever grace the planet, she has to admit that the girl is attractive.

“Well hi back, stranger.” Ava gave a polite smile as she always does when people come up to her. The girl must be new, since people at school didn’t normally act the way she did around Ava. “Can I help you with something?”

The girl shakes her head and just extends her hand out for a handshake. “Nope, just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Teresa. I saw you play in your last game, and I just wanted to say that you rocked it.”

“Thank you so much,” That seemed to make Ava smile brighter as she shakes Teresa’s hand, not at all noticing how her touch lingered for just a few seconds too long. “I’m glad you enjoyed the game. Are you new?” She asks, wanting to make polite conversation even though she really should be finding Beatrice right about now. The tea she had for her was starting to get cold, but Ava figured a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.

“I am, good catch! I’m sure you’re used to people coming up to you though. They say you have a lot of fans.” Teresa casually leans against the lockers, the whole time not taking her eyes off of Ava. Or even losing the smile she wore ever since she saw her. “As I’ve heard from your friends, anyway. Chanel gushes about you, and so did JC when I met him.”

Ava tilts her head to the side, a bit surprised that this girl was actually running with her (old?) group of friends. “They just see me as their baby sister.” She chuckles, choosing not to question why they were talking about her in the first place.

She checks her watch and notices the time, cursing quietly when she realizes that she’s late for her morning dose of Beatrice. “Hey, it was really nice to meet you, Teresa, but I have to be somewhere right now. I’ll catch you around, yeah?”

The other girl didn’t seem to like that, but hid it by a wave of her hand. “Of course, yeah! Busy girl. I’m sorry for keeping you here. I would love to hang out with you sometime though. Text me?” She pulls out a sharpie from her back pocket before taking Ava’s free wrist. Clearly, she had no shyness at all.

Before Ava could stop her, Teresa had already started writing her number across her forearm, finishing with a little heart at the end and smiling contentedly after.

“See you around, Ava.” Teresa waves at her before walking off, leaving Ava staring after her. She looks down at her forearm and sighs. She was used to receiving numbers, but she hasn’t actually gotten one in a while. Mostly because the whole school knew by now that she and Beatrice were a thing.

She decides to just push the thought aside, figuring that Teresa just didn’t know she was taken (spoiler, she definitely knows) and went off to find Beatrice. Which was easy enough to do, since most of the time Ava found her at her locker.

“I was starting to worry that you skipped school today.” Were the words Beatrice greeted her with, along with Ava’s favorite smile.

“Now why would I do that? Then you wouldn’t be able to see your flaming hot girlfriend.” She grins as she hands over Beatrice’s tea before leaning up to peck her cheek. Part of their little morning ritual.

“You do realize that you mostly resemble a golden retriever puppy, right? Cute, sure, but not exactly flaming hot.”

“Shut up, let me have my moment.”

“Ava it’s always your moment.”

Ava can’t help but roll her eyes before letting out a huff. “So, any plans later? Besides studying?”

Beatrice shakes her head before her eyes caught something on Ava’s skin. “Who’s number is that?” She asks, not taking her gaze off of Ava’s forearm.

“Oh, this? Some new girl wrote it.” Ava answers, sparing a glance at the dark ink before looking at Beatrice again. She didn’t think much of it, but Beatrice thought differently.

“Does she not know that you have a girlfriend?” Beatrice raised her eyebrows slightly before leaning closer to Ava and lowering her voice. “We have a reputation to keep up, you know.”

Ava just smiles and rolls her eyes, oblivious to the slightly jealous glint in Beatrice’s eyes. “Relax, Bea. I’ll get rid of it during class. I still have your spare sanitizer in my bag.”

“Okay, but make sure that people don’t take much notice of that. We don’t need to be caught in some drama.” Beatrice says as she takes out a packet of tissues and handing it over to Ava. “Let’s go, I’ll walk you to class.”

With that, they set off to continue their morning ritual.

Ava gives Beatrice her morning tea and gives her a kiss on the cheek, they talk, maybe flirt a little if there were enough people around, sometimes talk to the girls if they were there, and then Beatrice walks her to class. Usually leaving her with another kiss on the cheek. It was perfect, really. Ava didn’t think she could like something so routine, but she could do this every single day for the rest of their school days (which unfortunately, will not happen.)

“I’m sure that by now, I don’t have to remind you to behave yourself.” Beatrice teases as they reach Ava’s class, making Ava pout.

“But it’s our thing! Do it anyway, just in case.”

Beatrice smiles and rolls her eyes before leaning down to kiss Ava’s cheek. “Behave, okay? I’ll see you later.”

And if Beatrice hasn’t fallen for Ava already, she’s pretty sure the smile Ava gave her would be more than enough to do just that. It warmed Beatrice’s soul, and she didn’t even know when it happened but one day she just realized how much she craved it. How much she craved the girl with the brightest smile she had ever seen.

She just wished she had been next to Ava when she decides to save the number written on her forearm. Maybe then, she could’ve prevented something bad from happening.

* * *

It didn’t take very long until Teresa found Ava again. This time it was after school, and Ava has just finished with her practice. Coincidentally, Beatrice also had to stay back for a meeting. So Ava decides to be a good “girlfriend” and wait for her to finish up so they can at least get some time together before they have to part ways again for the night.

It was lost on her that their schedules were getting more and more conflicting, but she figures it would just be temporary. And even if Beatrice was too busy to hang out, there was always Camila and the other girls. And Michael, of course. She always tried to get some time in with her little brother.

“Hey! Ava!” A voice called out, making Ava look up from the notes she was reading. After all, she still had to keep her academic performance up. No matter how much of a pain it was.

She watches as the new girl, Teresa, makes her way over to the bench that Ava occupied. She gives a small smile before putting her notes away, wanting to talk to her properly in order to avoid seeming rude. “Hello. Teresa, right?”

The girl smiles as she sits next to Ava. A bit too close, but Ava ignores that since it’s likely that Teresa is just being friendly. “That’s right! Thanks for remembering. What are you doing out here on your own? Studying would be much easier at home, or somewhere more private.”

Ava just shrugs as she glances at her notes. “Just waiting for someone. And I like being outside, seeing people. Fresh air and all that. Plus, I just finished practice so I figured why not stay out here.” She explains as she puts her notes into her bag. “What about you? The others normally go out to eat after school. Why aren’t you with them?”

“Randall went to go see JC, and Chanel dragged Zori to shop. Wasn’t really up to tagging along to either of those, so I figured I’d just see the school grounds some more.”

“Hey shopping with Chanel is actually more entertaining than you’d think.”

Teresa tilts her head, looking amused. “Really? Guess I’d have to try it out next time, then. I’m sure you guys used to have a lot of fun.”

“We did, yeah. They’re great people, and boy do they know how to party.” Ava chuckles to herself as memories of her time with them flashed through her mind.

Yes, she knew now that they weren’t the best influence on her but they were the first people who had taken her in and accepted her. She appreciates them for that, but she needed to focus on more important things now. She can’t go out and just party or run around with them anymore. Plus, she really enjoyed the company of the other girls. Supportive gay mom Shannon, irritated lesbian dad Mary, her sweet troublemaking best friend Camila, even dark witch Lilith that she made a point of teasing every time she sees her.

But most of all, she enjoyed spending time with Beatrice. Her beautiful, brilliant, perfect Beatrice. Who seems to be always on her mind lately. Especially after the ferris wheel moment that they have still yet to discuss. It was driving Ava insane, but she didn’t want to freak Beatrice out or make her uncomfortable. Someone like Beatrice won’t feel the same way for someone like her. After all, they were still in a bet that she made in the first place. A stupid, _stupid_ bet.

Teresa breaks her out of her thoughts. “I know. You should come party with them again. With me tagging this time around. They said you’re heaps of fun, too.” She nudges Ava slightly, and Ava notes the slight hope of agreement. Why though, she can’t be sure.

“Maybe. I’m sort of booked these days, since we have a game coming up. Partying might not be such a good idea. But we’ll see.” Ava nods, not wanting to flat out say no. She was still trying to be nice.

“Hm. Well, what about just hanging out?” Teresa asks hopefully, turning to face Ava properly. “Maybe the two of us could get ice cream or something, my treat. Are you busy right now?”

Ava opens her mouth to answer, but someone already beat her to it.

“As a matter of fact, she is.”

The two girls turned and saw Beatrice standing behind them, her arms crossed over her chest with an eyebrow raised in question of what exactly was happening.

Of course, Beatrice took great pleasure in seeing Ava smile immediately upon seeing her. The attention on the new girl was suddenly nonexistent, and Teresa noticed it as well.

“Beatrice!” Ava greets happily, standing up from her spot and gliding closer to Beatrice. “All done?”

“All done.” She confirms, shooting Teresa a little smirk that Ava didn’t notice. And for good measure, she leans closer to kiss Ava’s cheek. “Ready to go, love? I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Ava waves her off. “Of course not! I was just waiting for you. By the way, this is Teresa. She’s new, and she’s been nice enough to stop by and talk. Teresa, this is my Beatrice.”

Teresa looks Beatrice up and down, hiding the immediate loathing she felt behind a fake smile after hearing Ava describe her as _‘_ ** _my_** _Beatrice.’_ She’s already heard about Beatrice and her upper class friends from JC’s crew, so an opinion of her was already set. A not so friendly one. But of course, Ava didn’t pick up on that.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Teresa. Thank you for keeping my girlfriend company while she waited for me. Student government meetings can run late, unfortunately.”

“Yes, well. Wouldn’t want Ava to be alone. Having someone’s time and attention is what she deserves, not just waiting out here in the cold.” And while her tone might be nice and light, Beatrice immediately sensed the hostility. Which she wasn’t wrong about. “And please, the pleasure is all mine.”

Ava just smiled at the two, completely missing the newly formed rivalry.

“I agree, Ava does deserve that. Which is what I will be giving her now, if you’ll excuse us.” Beatrice gives Teresa a polite (yet very fake) smile before turning to Ava and smiling for real. “You ready to go? My parents are out for business, I’m free for dinner if you are.”

Ava nods enthusiastically. “Of course! Let’s go back to mine? Michael’s been asking for you.”

“That sounds lovely.” She finds Ava’s hand and laced their fingers together before turning to look at Teresa. “Again, thank you for keeping her company. We’ll be going, now.”

“Bye, Teresa! I’ll see you around. Say hi to Chanel and the others for me.” Ava waves with her free hand, smiling at Teresa. Which of course, made the other girl smile as well.

“I will. Rain check on hanging out, yeah? Text me, too. If you ever need some company. You have my number.”

Ava nods but doesn’t say anything after, letting Beatrice lead her away.

Teresa stays seated, watching as the two walk further and further away. Once they were out of sight, Teresa smirks.

“Beatrice the girlfriend, hm?” Teresa speaks to no one, but her tone holds amusement. “Not for long. Definitely not for long.”

With that, she stands and swings her bag over her shoulder, walking away from the bench as her mind already starts to work out plans in order to get the _girlfriend_ out of the picture.

—

“Have you been waiting long?” Beatrice asks as they make their way towards the parking lot. It was her first time meeting the Teresa girl, and she instantly disliked the way she looked and smiled at Ava. How she wanted to get alone time with her when it was supposed to be Beatrice’s time.

Ava shakes her head. “Nope, not really. Practice ran a little late, so it was cool. I tried to study with my notes from class, but holy fuck my handwriting is a mess.”

“I agree.”

“Hey!” Ava whines, nudging Beatrice a bit. “You’re supposed to _not_ agree and tell me that it’s good! That’s girlfriend duties!”

“But Ava, it really is atrocious.” Beatrice continues to tease.

“That’s not girlfriend duties!”

Beatrice laughs as shakes her head, admitting to herself that she really loves that Ava actually treats her as her girlfriend even when they’re alone. “Okay, okay. Fine. It’s not bad, considering that you had to relearn after years and years of not being able to write.”

“Thank you.” Ava gives a satisfied nod, swinging their still connected hands back and forth between them.

After a moment of silence, Beatrice decides to ask a question. “Was she the one who wrote the numbers on your arm the other day?”

“Who? Teresa?” Ava glances at Beatrice, who was focused on getting to her car. “Yeah, actually. She’s the new girl.”

“And she’s spending time with your old friends now?”

Ava nods. “Yup. She actually invited me to come hang out with them again.”

“And are you?”

Ava seems to think of it for a moment before shaking her head. “Nah. At least, not without good reason. I have a game coming up, and I can’t get entangled with parties or wild nights. Superion might strangle me if I get caught.”

Hearing Ava say no brought a small smile to Beatrice. “That’s good. My parents would celebrate if they hear you’ve been strangled to death.”

“Yeah, and probably offer to get rid of my body too.” Ava chuckles as they reach the car, letting Beatrice unlock it before taking her hand back and climbing into the passenger seat. Which she has claimed as her throne a while back.

“You know I won’t let them though, right? You at least deserve a proper funeral.” Beatrice says once she was settled in her seat, already focusing on the road rather than staring at Ava as she begins to drive.

“Yeah? Are you gonna wail in anguish over my dead body? Cause you gotta. Maybe fight off people too as they try to put me in the ground.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes playfully. “Mhm, sure I will. It’s what a good girlfriend would do.”

That made Ava smile even more, and although her bravery from the ferris wheel has yet to come back to actually finish the job of kissing Beatrice senseless, her usual confidence was still there.

“You’re already a good girlfriend, don’t worry.” Ava assures before reaching over and placing her hand on Beatrice’s leg. “Love me yet? I win?”

Beatrice didn’t let it show, but she felt a pang of disappointment when Ava reminded her of their little bet. Beatrice never lost to anything, but maybe she should just let it be this one time. After all, she could still get Ava. For real that time. And really, how was that losing?

But her response betrayed how she actually felt. “Only in your dreams, Silva.”

She wanted to hit her head against the steering wheel.

_'Beatrice, you repressed competitive fuck.'_

* * *

“I want to strangle her.” Beatrice growled as she tries to stab out the eraser on her desk, imagining that it was Teresa’s eye.

She hears laughter coming from her laptop, where Mary and Shannon watched in amusement.

“Well someone’s really jealous.” Shannon points out, seeing an all new side to Beatrice as she and Mary listened to what was on her mind.

“It’s not even about jealousy!” Beatrice exclaims, dropping the pencil she was holding and slumping back in her chair.

It’s already been over a week since she officially met Teresa, and now it seems like she sees the girl everywhere. Everywhere around Ava, that is. And Beatrice didn’t like that one bit.

“She just—she has this energy that makes her so infuriating! She acts like I’m not even there and openly flirts with Ava! I just want to use her as a training dummy for Kenjutsu. And then use her as target practice for archery. I also got new kunais and shurikens that need testing.”

Mary gives out a low whistle. “Damn, Bea. You’re normally so calm and composed. And on top of that you meditate so those aggressions don’t come out. But I gotta admit, you’re kinda scary now. What gives?”

“What gives? Ava, of course.” Shannon answers her girlfriend for Beatrice, since the younger girl could only turn red and hide her face behind her hands. “See? She’s just protective of her girlfriend. Everyone knows that.”

Beatrice throws her arms up in exasperation. “Exactly! Exactly, that is my point! Everyone knows that Ava’s taken! So why is this new girl acting like I don’t exist? We’ve already made it clear to everyone that Ava is mine.”

_‘Except, not really.’_ Her mind reminds, which Beatrice chooses to ignore.

Of course, the girlfriends only laughed before Shannon smiles at Beatrice. “Calm down, Beatrice. It’s not like Ava is swayed by Teresa’s words and actions, right? Anyone can see that Ava only has eyes for you.”

“Damn girl looks like a lovesick puppy around you.“ Mary agrees, trying her best to help Beatrice since she’s no stranger to the shitty feeling of jealousy. “Trust us, you have nothing to worry about. That skank can try and move in on your girl all she wants, but Ava will never budge as long as she has you.”

Beatrice sighs heavily, feeling bad that she’s keeping the truth from her friends. But what was she supposed to do now? She was in too deep, and this lie would have to keep up. She can’t expose the truth to them now. Especially since she’s the one who asked for advice on what to do with what she’s feeling. She’d look stupid if they were to find out that she’s jealous when she had no real right to be.

“Have you told Ava about how you feel yet? Talking and figuring out what to do together is best, you know.” Shannon says when Beatrice keeps quiet. “Attack the problem together. You’re a couple, you don’t have to go at this alone.”

“Well actually I liked her whole target practice idea—“ Mary instantly shut up when she sees her girlfriend glare at her. “What I mean is yes, talk to Ava about it and maybe she’ll tell Teresa to fuck off. Shannon’s completely right, listen to her.”

Beatrice finally looks up at the screen, seeing the two elder gays watching her. “Is it even fair? To ask that of her? I mean, what if she doesn’t like jealous girls? I don’t even think she knows Teresa is into her. I think she thinks that Teresa is only being nice. Is it really my right to ask her to talk to Teresa and make her back off because I’m....uncomfortable?”

“You’re the _girlfriend,_ Beatrice. Of course it’s your right to let her know of those kind of things. Communication is the key and I know somewhere in that big smart brain of yours, you agree.” Mary responds while Shannon nods from beside her.

“You’re a woman of logic and sound reasoning, Bea. Use it. Ava clearly adores you, so this shouldn’t be hard to get through. Okay? And if Teresa doesn’t back off after that, then I’ll let Mary shoot her. Or you can put her in the middle of the field during practice and we’ll tackle her.”

“Or _accidentally_ beat her with our lacrosse sticks.” Mary adds.

Beatrice chuckles at that before nodding. “Thank you. I really needed someone to talk to about this. Lilith didn’t seem like the right choice, given that she wants to rip Ava’s head off. She’d probably just tell me to toss Ava to Teresa.”

“Hey, anything for you.” Shannon smiles before Mary interrupts. “Plus it’s really nice not to be the disaster gays anymore. Thanks for taking over.”

That only made Beatrice roll her eyes, but she still smiles gratefully. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway I have to go now, I still need to study. Thank you again, you can go back to making out or whatever it is that you were doing.”

“Don’t have to tell us twice.” Mary smirks before ending the call.

Beatrice sighs after, closing her eyes to think properly. Although Mary and Shannon have both insisted that she talk to Ava about the Teresa situation, she just can’t bring herself to do it. No matter how much she agrees. She has no real right to do so, despite what anyone may think.

Because Ava isn’t hers.

* * *

Over the next week, Beatrice’s schedule became increasingly busier than normal. Which also meant less time with Ava. The younger girl understood of course, claiming that Beatrice had to focus on that part of her life and that she’d be waiting for any free time Beatrice could spare. Which was usually just their morning routine, lunch break, and maybe even a few hours during the weekend. Sometimes even during the classes they had together, if Beatrice wasn’t so focused on the lesson. There was also her nightly video call with Beatrice, even though it wasn’t really the same as actually being with her. It would have to be enough for now.

Ava learned to be patient, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she missed having Beatrice all to herself. She kept telling herself that it was only temporary, and that she could occupy herself for now. After all, she had no problem doing that before Beatrice came along. But it was hard because now all she was craving was time with her girlfriend. Pretend girlfriend? Fake girlfriend? Fake girlfriend that she likes for real.

She sighs as her last period finishes, and she knows by now that Beatrice will have probably left her class for more practice. At least Ava didn’t have anything planned for today, so she could probably just get a nap in. But then she remembers that she still has Camila, so she hurriedly packs up her things and races out of the room in search of her best friend.

Until of course she remembers that Camila is the new member of the archery team, so she most likely was in practice with Beatrice. She deflates at the realization, even though she’s super happy for her. And just like that, her run turned into a walk. Maybe a nap wouldn’t be so bad. She certainly needs it, given that she has a big game on the weekend.

“Ava? Ava!” A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and by now she has recognized it as Teresa’s. Her eyes search for the voice and sees that she’s not alone. She’s actually with Chanel and the others, and Ava can’t help but smile since she still considers them as friends.

“Hey! Why do you look so down?” Teresa asks as she reaches Ava.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just realized that I have nothing to do for the rest of the day.”

Teresa seems to perk up at that. “Really? Come with us then!”

Chanel nods and smiles at Ava. “We’re meeting JC, looking to check out an abandoned factory near the edge of town. See if it could be a nice spot for our next banger.”

Ava raises her eyebrows at that. She was no stranger to it, of course. She almost got arrested before because of their little trespassing tendencies. But she had nothing else to do, and she really doesn’t want to go home yet only to be bored out of her mind.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t mind. She’s busy anyway, right? Given that she’s not here with you. I promise, we won’t take long. Please? It’ll be fun hanging with your old friends again.” Teresa insists, bumping shoulders with Ava.

She thinks about it. Really thinks about it. She doesn’t want to get caught in any potential trouble, especially since she has a game coming up that she has to be ready for. She can’t get into anything that’ll jeopardize that.

Finally, Zori rolls her eyes. “Just say yes, you dork. For old times sake. We won’t even be long, we’re just checking out the place. Don’t be a wet blanket.”

Ava scans their faces, seeing Randall give her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and Chanel’s eyes and pout practically begging her to agree. She sees Zori’s eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer. And she sees Teresa, practically bouncing at her heels at the thought of Ava joining them.

And after a moment, she relents.

“Alright, fine. I’ll come with. But we have to be back soon since I still have to study.”

“Yeah! Ava Silva back at it with the crew!” Randall cheers and Teresa practically squealed with excitement, clearly very happy that Ava agreed as she hooks her arm around Ava’s so they could all leave.

Ava would later learn that it was a big mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	12. Beatrice Is Always Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was hell to write and i hate it.

Beatrice sighs when she checks her phone again on one of their breaks, seeing that she still hasn’t gotten a response from Ava. Which was very unusual, given that she always replies within fifteen minutes of Beatrice sending a text. Unless she was sleeping or doing something, but she always lets Beatrice know beforehand in order not to worry her.

“Camila, do you happen to know where Ava is right now?” Beatrice asks as she looks down at her newly appointed teammate who was sitting comfortably on the ground as she rests. “She’s not answering my texts. Has she said anything to you about napping?”

The shorter girl furrowed her eyebrows before shaking her head. “No, we haven’t talked since our last class together. She’s not responding to you? That’s weird.”

“I know, right? Maybe she’s just tired. I’ll call later.” Beatrice sighs as she puts her phone away, ignoring the bad feeling already brewing. She and Ava might have not been around each other that much these days, but they always texted. Always called. Which is why this was bothering her a bit too much.

Camila notes the worried expression on her friend’s face, making her stand up to put a hand on Beatrice’s shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, sometimes Ava leaves her phone in her room when she’s having family time. Jillian is a very busy woman, so the three of them try to soak up as much time together as possible.”

Beatrice nods and gives her a small smile. “Yeah, you’re right. She most likely just forgot. Thank you, Camila.”

“No thanks necessary. You make her happy so anything I can do to ease your worry, I’m here.” Camila smiles before looking up at their coach when they were being called back for practice. “I guess that’s our queue.”

With that, they returned to practice. But that didn’t stop the bad feeling that Beatrice had. Normally, Ava not answering wouldn’t be a problem. It’s not like she’s kept on a leash and has to be monitored at all times. This day was just oddly off. She just can’t help but think that something was wrong.

And everyone knew that Beatrice is always right.

* * *

“It’s just like JC to do this! Honestly, what an ass.” Zori complains as they all pile back into Teresa’s car. “Making us come all the way here and then not even being here!”

Ava laughs as she straps in her seatbelt, currently riding shotgun upon Teresa’s insistence. “C’mon, now. You know he’s just a little scatterbrained.”

“Yeah and that’s exactly why you two made such a good match back then.” Randall snickers before Chanel slaps his arm.

“And that was also one of the reasons why we were worried about them, remember? Put two scatterbrained idiots in love and we’ve got ourselves a disaster.”

Ava’s cheeks burned when they bring up her past with JC, which is admittedly not her proudest achievement. “We weren’t in love, you guys. We dated, it didn’t work out, that’s it.”

“Yeah and then you went and got yourself stuck with Princess Beatrice of the Bitch Bunch.” Zori rolls her eyes, not at all stopping herself from voicing her dislike of Ava’s new friends.

“Shut up.” Ava snaps before sighing to calm her nerves down. She clenches her hands, not wanting to ruin this time with her old friends. “Look they’re not bad, alright? They’re really nice people, especially Beatrice. They’re not like how we thought they were.”

Randall laughs before shaking his head. “You expect us to believe that those trust fund babies aren’t bitchy at all?“

“They’re really not.” Ava insists, regretting that she used to think like them and actually agree with what they were saying about Beatrice and the other girls.

“Come on, guys. Let’s not talk about them.” Teresa says from the driver’s seat, only sparing a glance at the rear view mirror. “We’re here to have a good time with Ava, remember?“

Thankfully, Chanel backed her up. “Yes, yes. We remember. Now JC said he’s already out near the factory, so let’s just go and get this over with. I’m sure Ava is just _dying_ to get home so she can have some time with her girlfriend.”

Teresa shoots her a look in the mirror. Their group already knew what Teresa wanted with Ava but Chanel likes her so she wasn’t on board with her plan. That being said, it wasn’t like she was going to full on stop it.

Ava just smiles before nodding. “Well not just that. I also promised Michael we’d watch a movie tonight so I kinda need to be home for that too.”

“Then let’s get this over with as quick as possible. Hold on, we’re about to make this ride a little more fun.” Teresa smirks before gripping the steering wheel tighter and pushing on the gas pedal just a little bit harder.

And while people knew that she was an orphan, no one at school really knew the reason how she came to be that way. Except Camila, of course. And most recently, Beatrice. It wasn’t easy telling either of them that a single car crash cost her the life of her mother and had left her a paralyzed orphan. Still, it was good to get it off her chest. Even though she didn’t necessarily want to talk about it.

“W-wait! Slow down, Teresa this isn’t—“

“Let’s go! Go faster!” Randall cheered from the backseat, laughing and enjoying the feeling along with the others as the car went faster and faster.

Teresa laughed from her seat, her eyes going from the three at the back to the road in front of them. They were well out of the city by now and there was no one on the road but them. That definitely put her mind at ease, seeing as they had little to worry about. So she pushed on the gas pedal some more, letting the car zoom down the road. Nothing could go wrong.

And to be fair, nothing did.

As soon as she realized that Ava had gone quiet, Teresa had glanced beside her and saw the terrified look on Ava’s face as she clutched the seatbelt tightly. Teresa immediately slowed down, as gently as possible.

“Ava? Ava, are you okay? I’m sorry, I thought that would be fun.” Teresa says as she shifts her gaze from the road to Ava every other moment. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“Aw, c’mon! It was just getting exciting!” Zori whined, making Chanel slap her arm to shut her up. She nodded towards Ava, seeing the girl visibly shaken up by what just happened.

Chanel leaned closer and rubbed Ava’s arm. “Breathe, girl. It was just a little bit of rush. You’re gonna be okay.”

The shorter girl nods, trying to control her shallow breathing. She really should’ve gone home instead. Or even just watched Beatrice and Camila during practice. But luckily Teresa caught on pretty quickly so she didn’t have to hyperventilate in her seat.

The rest of the car ride was pretty much quiet after that. Not that Ava minded, since she needed to clear her head. She wanted to text Beatrice, but her phone had already died and she didn’t really see a need to charge it so she figures she’d just let Beatrice know what she did later.

They eventually come up an large old factory, abandoned just like they said it was. The gates were opened, and there was a truck parked right outside the main building. Once the car had stopped, Ava shakily got out just as JC was making his way over to greet them.

“Woah, hey. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He says as he wraps his arms around Ava, wanting to give her a hug since they don’t see each other as much these days.

“That’s my bad, sorry. I started speeding up on the way over here, I didn’t know it would scare her.” Teresa says, looking apologetic. She really did feel bad, but she would find a way to make it up to Ava. Preferably without Beatrice knowing.

Ava shakes her head as she hugs JC back. “No no, it’s okay. I’m just not a fan of fast driving is all. I’m okay. Let’s just check the place out, yeah?”

“Yes!” JC nods as he lets Ava go. “I already walked around a little. No cameras, thank fuck. But the lights work so there should be electricity for the music and such. C’mon, let’s head in.”

And so for the next hour or so, they did nothing but goof around the old factory as they explored it. Ava notes that the energy between them was still the same. She eventually calmed down from what happened earlier and was back to cracking jokes and laughing with the others. The only thing that was different was that Teresa never left her side. Just had her arm hooked around Ava’s almost the entire time. It was clear that her attention was all on Ava.

Which may have been a good thing, given that they were at a dangerous part of the factory. A lot of the machines were rusted, and some metal poles and pipes were sticking out or strewn about the ground.

“Jeez, some looters really should clean up after themselves.” JC shakes his head. “Be careful around here, guys. We’ll close off this area for the party. We wanna avoid accidents—“

Before JC could even finish speaking, a quiet yelp cut through the air. Everyone whipped around to see Ava wrapped up in Teresa’s arms, standing _very_ close to a rusted sharp metal pole that was sticking out of some sort of machine.

“Watch out.” Teresa whispers after a moment before breaking out into laughter along with the others.

Ava grumbled and peeled herself away from Teresa’s arm, marching up to JC and Randall so she can hit both their arms. “Shut up! You know I’m prone to accidents.”

“You mean you’re clumsy as fuck?” JC teases, earning another round of laughter while Ava rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Can we go now? This place looks good. Especially once cleanup is done, no dangerous rusty ass crap, a little decorating here and there. It’ll be perfect. Now can we go home?”

JC snickers before nodding. “Okay, fine. Let’s leave before Ava gets impaled and dies of tetanus.” He says before throwing an arm over Ava’s shoulders so he can lead her out. Which wasn’t unusual, given that they were very close and comfortable with each other. However, Teresa seems disappointed that Ava wasn’t at her side anymore.

She just wanted to spend some time with Ava. Can anyone really blame her? Sure, Beatrice might get pissed if she finds out but she wasn’t there to stop Ava from going so it’s fair game. She just had to find an opening that will push Beatrice away so she can get Ava’s attention to herself. And with her ideas, it should be easy enough. She pulls Chanel back, talking to her in a hushed tone. It was clear that Chanel wasn’t a hundred percent on board with it, but eventually conceded and went along with what was asked of her.

Once they were all outside, Chanel clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Change of plans. Since Ava needs to go home, Teresa is going to take her. JC, you’re taking the rest of us to the next town over. I need to pick something up.”

Ava glanced at JC, looking very confused. Not that it helped much, since he looked just as confused as she did.

“I thought we were all just going to check this place out?” Ava questions, making Teresa nod. “We were. But Chanel needs to pick up a package. She asked me to drive you home since you want to leave but we can go with them if you’re down.”

Ava didn’t look convinced. “Uhm, okay? But what are you picking up all of a sudden—“

“Are you in or are you out?” Chanel cuts off, making Ava sigh deeply.

“Sorry, I’m out. I really have to get home.” She shrugs before looking at Teresa. “You’re sure you’re okay with driving me? Wouldn’t you rather go with them? I bet I can just call a taxi or—“

Teresa shakes her head immediately. “No! No, don’t be silly. You don’t have to make someone drive all the way out here. I’ll take you, it’s no problem.”

“Oookay.” Ava drawls out, clearly still confused by the whole exchange before shaking her head and smiling at the others. “Thanks for the time, you guys. It feels nice to hang out with you again.”

JC grins before ruffling her hair just to mess with her. “Next time don’t forget how much fun we have. You’re coming to the party, okay? After your game so no excuses.”

Ava rolls her eyes but smiles, nodding. “Yes, I got it. Party. But I’ll be bringing my new friends along—“

The others were suddenly groaning in protest, but Ava continues. “Shhh I’m bringing them along so you see how fun they really are. And you’re all going to be nice.”

“No promises but sure, the more the merrier.” JC says after a beat before leaning down to kiss Ava’s forehead. “Say hi to your mom and Michael for me. Text me when you get home, okay?”

Ava smiles and nods, not minding the kiss since she knows it’s only friendly. She just didn’t notice Teresa rolling her eyes. “I will. Bye, JC. And I’ll see you guys at school.” She tells the other three, waving at them as she walks towards Teresa’s car.

Teresa was already in, smiling at Ava once she was settled beside her. “See? What did I tell you? Fun, right? I hope now you’re convinced to spend more time with us.”

“Yes, you’re right. I had a lot of fun just joking and hanging out like old times.” Ava returns the smile as she puts her seatbelt on. “But there’s still the fact that you guys aren’t exactly crazy about my new friends. So it’ll be hard going from one group to another.”

Teresa nods, already pulling up to the main road and looking hesitant. “Yeah...about your new friends. They don’t exactly seem like the type you’d hang out with. You’re not just like...being forced by Beatrice are you? Since she’s the one who’s really friends with them.”

“What? Of course not.” Ava answers immediately. “I’m not hanging out with them just because of Beatrice. They really are great people. Even Lilith who looks pretty much like a stone cold bitch like, always.”

Of course, Ava would never admit to Lilith that she thinks she’s great. That would mean actually being nice and that so wasn’t their thing. They’re destined to go at each other’s throats for a very long time and they were both okay with that.

After a moment, Teresa spoke again. “So...Beatrice. Are you two still new?”

“We are. Not even two months, I think. But yeah, still fairly new. Still learning the ropes. But she’s amazing. Really really out of my league, too.” Ava smiles as she speaks, her mind immediately filled with thoughts of Beatrice. Her smile, her slight accent, her brilliant mind. God, Ava adored Beatrice’s mind.

Although dismayed by Ava’s words and lovestruck look, Teresa pushed it aside to get a little more out of her. She needed to know just how deep Ava was in so she can work out how much effort she had to make.

“Sounds like someone’s in love.”

Ava’s eyes were suddenly on Teresa, thoughts snapping back to reality. “What?! No. Why would you say that? I’m not–I’m not in love with Beatrice. I’m not. It’s still new so...yeah. She’s awesome, a total badass, but we still have a lot of things to work out.” She explains rather quickly. _‘Including the fact that you’re not actually dating even though you’ve gone and gotten yourself hit by the love arrow.’_ Her mind supplies before she tells it to shut up.

Teresa laughs, shaking her head slightly even though her hands clutch the steering wheel tighter. Ava’s into Beatrice more than she thought she was.

“If you say so.” She mused before seeing a sign for a convenience store. “Hey, you mind stopping for a bit? I’m feeling snacky and thirsty. You wanna get something for the drive back?”

Ava doesn’t even think about it. “Snacks? Hell yeah sign me up.”

“Girl with an appetite. Hot.” Teresa smirks before pulling over to the small parking space of the convenience store. They were closer to the city by now, so there were more people and cars around. Ava dismisses Teresa’s words, thinking that she’s only teasing.

Once the car stops fully, Ava steps out and looks around the place. A couple of cars getting gas, a biker gang a little far off, some skater kids by the curb. Some people in the store too. So far, everything was normal. She joins Teresa once she was out of the car and together they make their way into the store.

They make small talk as they browse around. Teresa was clearly very elated that Ava was now very comfortable around her. They were cracking jokes back and forth, although Teresa never really got how quickly Ava could make up puns. Still, she was in awe of it. Beautiful and funny? That’s just her kind of girl. And she’s gonna keep chasing after Ava (even if it takes a few more chapters)

“So, what gives? Why are you dating someone like Beatrice?” Teresa asks as they go up to the counter.

Ava shoots her an uncertain look. “Someone like Beatrice?”

“Yeah! You know, top of the food chain. Big brains, teacher’s favorite, parents basically own the school. Someone like Beatrice.”

Ava contemplates about it for a moment, a smile eventually settling on her lips. “Well, she’s my Beatrice. I don’t know. She’s a lot more than that, though. A lot more than the perfect student, a lot more than her parents’ daughter. I’m not lying when I say that Beatrice is an amazing person. She just is. She may seem cold and closed off on the outside, but once you get to know her there’s this whole other side to her that you just can’t help but be in awe of. To know her is to admire her.”

“So how’d you manage to snag her? You said before that she’s out of your league. Why do you think that?”

“Trust me. Beatrice is a lot more impressive than I am. She’s an exceptional human being.” Ava chuckles, an image of Beatrice smiling just flashing in her mind. “I’m so incredibly lucky to get to know her.”

Teresa hums as she takes the paper bag with all their snacks, motioning for Ava to follow so they can head back to the car. “If you ask me, Beatrice is the lucky one.”

“Hell no.” Ava shakes her head, laughing at the thought. “Nope. It really is the opposite. Beatrice is a literal angel, gracing everyone with her presence.”

“Nah, I don’t think so. Sure, everyone looks up to her. Admires her. But you, you’re different.” Teresa continues as they walk out of the store, suddenly turning around so she’s walking backwards. She just smiles at Ava before continuing.

“Ever since my first day at school, your name was already around. Everyone kept talking about how amazing you are and how you’re gonna beat out the team from the rival school. I never really liked soccer, but since everyone was raving about you I decided to go and watch you play. And after seeing that, well, soccer has easily become my favorite sport.”

Ava raised her eyebrows, not really sure where Teresa was going with. “You liked soccer because of me?”

“Yup!” Teresa beams, not taking her eyes off Ava as she keeps walking backwards. Anyone can see that she was just trying to look cute. “Hearing the talk about you intrigued me. Seeing you play only made me more interested. And now that I’m starting to get to know you, well, that’s how I know that you’re genuinely beautiful. And I know that you’re off the market right now, but Ava if you could just give me a chance to show you—“

“Watch out!”

There are times in movies where everything goes in slow motion. Teresa may not have noticed the oncoming motorcycle due to her trying to flirt with Ava, but Ava sure did. And of course out of pure instinct, Ava reached out and pushed Teresa out of the path of the rapidly approaching bike.

But stumbled directly in front of it.

One moment she and Ava were having a normal conversation and the next, she was sprawled across the ground with Ava lying motionless in front of her.

Teresa didn’t even hear the crash of the motorcycle as the biker loses balance after clipping Ava’s whole left side. All she could hear was the loud ringing in her ears as she stares at Ava’s body, her eyes closed. Blood was starting to pool around her, and she briefly registers people yelling over each other to call an ambulance.

Teresa didn’t even remember scrambling to Ava’s side, cradling her head on her lap as she tries to get Ava to wake up. Eventually, the sight and feeling of Ava’s blood became too much for her. And suddenly, both girls were passed out.

* * *

“You’re giving me a headache, Beatrice. Calm down.” Lilith watched as her best friend paced back and forth in her room, holding her phone tightly and checking it every other moment or so.

Finally, Beatrice throws it on the bed. “She hasn’t texted all day! Or even called! That’s not like her, Lilith. Something is _wrong_ , okay? I feel it.”

“How can you be so sure? Ava’s an idiot at times. Who’s to say she hasn’t lost her phone?”

“She could use her laptop or tablet or even their fridge! Maybe she’s ignoring me. That’s it. Ava’s avoiding me because I haven’t had time for her lately. Maybe she’s had enough of it and she’s had enough of me.” Beatrice starts to ramble, the fact that they aren’t actually dating escaping her mind. “I knew it! I knew it. It was too good to be true. She was just being nice to me—“

Before Beatrice could spiral further, Lilith rolled her eyes and stood up to cross the room. She grabs hold of Beatrice’s arms, effectively stopping her and getting her attention. “You’re cracking.”

“But Ava—“

“Ava’s fine!” Lilith cuts off. “Look, I know the two of us don’t exactly get along and it’s against my nature to be on her side but Ava _adores_ you! Anyone can see that, and I’m not going to deny it. I’m not sure where she is, or what she’s doing, but I’m certain that she’s not ignoring you. So take a deep breath and calm down, okay?”

Beatrice stares at Lilith, eventually nodding and taking a few deep breaths to calm her heart rate. It was already dark out and Ava still hasn’t contacted her. It worried her to no ends, but Lilith was right. She had to calm down. There must be a perfectly logical explanation for all of it.

“You’re right. You’re right, Ava’s fine.” She repeats Lilith words, trying to get her mind to believe it. “She’ll text or call me when she can. Right?”

Lilith nods. “That’s right. You have a nightly call, don’t you? You said she hasn’t broken that streak ever since you started so I see no reason why she would do that now.”

“Thank you, Lilith. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’d have probably pulled all my hair out if you weren’t here.” Beatrice smiles gratefully at her best friend before letting out a breath. “I’m going to get myself some tea. I’ll fix you one too.”

With that, she leaves the room to head downstairs. Lilith shakes her head, not recalling a time before when Beatrice was like this. This was the first time she was acting out of character, but she guesses it’s all because dating Ava has driven her insane.

Only a few minutes has passed since she’s been left alone when her phone started ringing. Lilith picked it up and saw Camila’s name and photo flash across her screen, making her smile unconsciously. She answered on the third ring, expecting to have their light conversation as usual.

But the smile from her face was quickly wiped, however, when she heard Camila’s distressed voice over the line. Lilith couldn’t find anything to say except for the small “okay.” at the end of the call.

She stares at the carpeted floor for a while until she hears the bedroom door open. She nervously looks up at Beatrice, opening her mouth to say something before closing it.

“Lilith? What’s wrong?” Beatrice asks, concern already overtaking her features once she sees how Lilith paled. “Lilith? What happened? What’s going on?

“Beatrice...” Lilith begins, unsure of what exactly to say. She’s not sure why she’s the one who’s supposed to say this. Camila could have easily called Beatrice and tell her herself. But in the back of her mind, she knew it would have to come from her best friend.

“Beatrice, Ava was in an accident.”

* * *

“Lilith can’t you drive any faster?! My nan drives faster than you!” Beatrice nearly shouts as she looks from the road to her best friend. Under any other circumstances, she would have been fine to drive on her own. But seeing as Lilith immediately deemed her unfit after seeing her panic, she had no choice but to take the passenger seat.

“I’m driving as fast as I can! I can’t exactly break the speed limit!”

“ _Fuck_ the speed limit! Lilith just hurry it up!”

“Just shut up you’re not making this easy! We’ll be there soon!”

“SHE COULD BE DEAD, LILITH!” Beatrice shouts, holding the sides of her head and squeezing her eyes shut in order not to let any tears fall. “She could be dead.” She whispers, hitting the side of her head with her palm in order to get rid of the sound of her heartbeat that was pounding in her ears.

Lilith glanced over at Beatrice, admittedly more calm than she should be but someone had to be. For both their sakes. “Beatrice just _breathe!_ You’re okay, Ava’s okay! She’s not dead!”

“How can you be sure?” Beatrice snaps as she glares as Lilith, her mind too clouded with fear and desperation that her thoughts were in shambles.

“I need you to trust me, okay? She’s fine! Camila said the ambulance got there early and that she’s been taken into surgery right away. She’s going to be alright.”

Beatrice chokes down a sob when she hears the word _surgery_. She knew that Ava hated hospitals. Hated doctors. She hated being treated like a patient and she hates all the pitying looks they give her. And now she was in another accident? Beatrice can’t even imagine what that must feel like. Ava loved her freedom. Loved to be able to move and feel.

What if this paralyzes her again?

After what feels like an eternity, Beatrice opened her eyes again and sees that they’re still on the move. Lilith is still doing her best to get them to the hospital as quickly as possible. And Beatrice can’t do anything but to try and calm her breathing. She can’t even begin to think of crying right now because this isn’t about her. She just needs to be there for Ava.

“Lilith I can’t lose her.” She chokes out, glancing helplessly at Lilith. “Not right now, Lilith. Not when I finally know how much she means to me. Not when I’m so happy. I can’t have that I still need her to be mine and I—“

“She’s still yours, Beatrice! She’s yours! What are you on about? You’re not going to lose her! You can still be happy!”

Beatrice buries her face in her hands, not listening to any of Lilith’s words because they were _lies._ Ava isn’t actually hers. All they are is a _bet._ But Beatrice can’t let it end like that. She still has so many things she wants to tell Ava. So many thoughts and experiences that she wants to share and do together. They haven’t even started yet and they’re already ending. Her breathing starts to get labored again as the bad thoughts plagued her mind. She starts mumbling all sorts of things, unaware that she’s actually doing it. Her hands are clenched tightly into fists. She’s only vaguely aware of the stinging feeling provided by her fingernails digging into her palms.

“You need to speed up, Lilith. Please. Please, I need to see her. I can’t lose her—not when we aren’t even together yet.”

Beatrice suddenly propelled forward, nearly hitting her head as Lilith slammed on the brakes.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AREN’T TOGETHER?!”

“DON’T STOP DRIVING!” Beatrice shouts, her anger flaring up at the thought of not getting to Ava sooner.

“NO! Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on! You mean to tell me that I tolerated her annoying presence for _nothing?!”_

That’s when Beatrice reached over and started slapping Lilith’s arm over and over, hoping it’ll get her to start driving again. “FUCK YOU! You have done nothing but eyefuck her best friend so don’t you fucking DARE call it _nothing!!_ Now drive before I kick you out of this car and drive there myself!!!”

Lilith could only growl and slap Beatrice’s hands away from her before stepping on the gas again, her cold stare not moving from the road. Her knuckles have gone white on the steering wheel, doing her best to bite her tongue and convincing herself that Beatrice was just worried. They’d get into it later and talk more of what has just been revealed. But until then, the best thing to do would be to get to the hospital.

They reached it eventually. Beatrice didn’t even wait for Lilith to properly park the car or even fully stop before darting out the door, leaving Beatrice calling out after her. She curses under her breath and parks before following Beatrice as quickly as she can. Thankfully, Beatrice stopped at the receptionist to hurriedly ask where Ava was.

“Bea! Lilith! Over here!” Camila calls, not really giving the nurse time to answer before Beatrice runs towards Camila.

“Where’s Ava? Is she okay? What happened, Camila? Is she alive?” Beatrice questions, slightly out of breath but not really paying mind to it.

Camila just shakes her head and runs a hand through her curly hair, the same concerned look all over her face. “I don’t know–she’s still in surgery. Jillian called me but she didn’t say much aside from what I initially told Lilith to tell you but I picked up on some stuff after I got here. Ava got hit by a motorcycle. Some bystanders say that they were just walking out of a convenience store and that there was this bike that came out of nowhere. Ava saw it and she pushed the girl she was with away but got hit herself.” She explains quickly, letting out all the information in one breath.

“Wait, girl? She was with a girl? Who was it?” Beatrice asks, her eyebrows furrowed since she didn’t know Ava had gone with someone after school.

Camila thought for a moment, trying to remember what she learned before speaking as she points to a girl sitting at the nearby waiting area. “Her. Yeah, she was with that girl from school, someone named Teresa—“

And that was all Beatrice needed to hear before her rage takes over. She storms towards the unsuspecting girl in one of the hospital chairs, giving Teresa barely enough time to look up at Beatrice before a resounding **_SLAP_** echoed through the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk what just happened but i'm not sorry :)


	13. It Would've Been Fun (If You Would've Been The One)

The first thing Ava heard when she regained consciousness was beeping.

Steady machine beeping that really became annoying the longer she heard it. She tried to open her eyes, somehow convinced that the beeping sound was just her alarm telling her to get ready for school.

Before she could even realize it, a groan escaped her lips.

Everything _hurt._

“Ava? Ava!”

_‘Ooh, an accent. Who do I know that has a sexy ass accent like that? Damn, my name sounds so good coming from them.’_ Came Ava’s thoughts before another wave of pain hit her as she tries to open her eyes. And it wasn’t just pain anymore, there was also the nausea. She wanted to hurl because everything hurt like a motherfucker.

With much effort, Ava managed to tear her eyes open–although immediately closing them back as the harsh white light met her eyes. She lets a moment pass before trying to blink them back to normal, her eyesight a bit blurry at first until they settle on a familiar face.

“B-Beatrice?”

_‘Damn, that’s what I sound like? What the hell happened to my voice?’_

“I’m here. I’m here, Ava.” Beatrice assured as she stares down at Ava, stroking her hair gently. “How are you feeling?”

At that, Ava let out another groan. “Like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

“Motorcycle, actually. One of those really big and heavy ones.” A voice from somewhere says, and Ava tried to move but it seemed that her body won’t let her.

“Cam?”

“Right here, Ava. You gave us quite a scare, you know. Beatrice was really really worried about you.” Camila teased. And even though Ava couldn’t see her, she knew Camila was practically grinning like a mischievous little elf.

Still, Ava had her to thank when she sees Beatrice avoid her eyes as her cheeks turn red. And suddenly something clicked in Ava’s head.

“Bea, did I win?”

Beatrice’s eyes were suddenly on hers again, and she opens her mouth to answer before closing it again. She debated whether or not to tell the truth, but she almost lost Ava. She can’t waste any time now after that little scare. She needs Ava to know how she feels.

“Well—“

And then Ava woke up with a start.

She scratched her head out of confusion as she sits up, squinting at the watch on her nightstand before groaning and falling back down onto her bed.

_‘What kind of acid trip was I on?’_ She wondered before lifting her sheets up and seeing her legs, both bare and unbroken. No ugly cast, no pain when she tried to move it.

“Probably just some weird ass nightmare dream.” She mumbles before throwing off her sheets and jumping out of bed.

She spends the next hour or so getting ready for school. Everything was normal, of course. Which is how it always is. She makes her way down to the dining room where breakfast was already set up. She greets Michael with a hug and greets Jillian a good morning before they all dig into their breakfast.

By the time she was being driven to school, Ava had already forgotten all about her weird dream.

That was, until she saw someone staring at her from the far side of the hallway.

She tilts her head out of curiosity and finds herself staring back. And that’s when it hit her.

_Beatrice._

The girl shoots Ava a knowing smile, as if something clicked in her mind too. As if they already knew each other, without having to interact at all. Ava laughs slightly and raises her hand to wave to the girl.

Beatrice waves back.

“Hey, baby! Ready for class?” A voice asks, and Ava glances for a moment to see her girlfriend beside her.

Ava smiles at her and nods. “Hi, Teresa. Yeah, I am. Let’s go.” She says before looking towards Beatrice again and gives her a smile.

And just like that, they parted ways. Neither of them speaking about the dream they both had. They both knew, both remembered. Both carried it well into adulthood and maybe even in the next life.

And life returned to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really sorry to end it here. it's been fun


	14. I Knew You'd Come Back To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, it’s a prank!
> 
> Yes, you read that right! It’s a prank. A lot of you actually got it😂 Congrats to those who did! You’re good sports!
> 
> And no, I did not continue this because people were going apeshit. It was a planned prank chapter from the start. Just wanted to stir up the tag, make it a little more interesting. If you wanna see the conversation I had with a friend to prove it, come find me on discord (satan#0695) or twitter (ahsisam_) and I’ll show you. Or if you just wanna scream at me or sumn.
> 
> But I must say, I seriously debated whether or not to continue this fic because wow. Some of you can’t take an ending that didn’t pan out the way you wanted it to, huh? Does it not say in my tags that this story is crack? I genuinely hope you guys don’t act that way in other fics. I may take this as a joke and get why you all are angry. Yes, I fucked with your emotions. I won’t deny that. But there are a lot of writers out there who won’t view it as I do. Writers who are only starting out and writers who are still trying to find their style. Not everyone has thick skin. And if you leave mean comments because you don’t like how they write or how they end things, that could seriously discourage them from writing ever again. Which is such a huge shame, because one of you will have killed their enthusiasm for writing and creating content. They’re thinking up stories that they believe will entertain you. They don’t have to. It’s not like they’re getting paid or they owe you something. They make an effort to write and edit and post just so you have something to read, even if you didn’t ask for it. The least you can do is be kind to them because at the end of the day, you read their work out of interest. You weren’t forced into it. Or maybe don’t say anything at all if you really don’t like their content.
> 
> Just be nice with your words next time, okay? You don’t have to be nice to me though, I really don’t care if you cuss me out or threaten me. And I’m not saying this is for all of you. You know where you fall. I promise, I’ll give this fic an ending that will satisfy you. An ending you deserve. We’ve still got a lot more to work out here. The end isn’t near, I can promise you that.
> 
> Anyway, here’s the next chapter. It’s a bit confusing and all over the place, but it’ll all fall into place. Just trust me.

Teresa is dead.

Well, not literally. But that doesn’t mean that Beatrice didn’t want her to be dead.

It took both Lilith and Camila plus three other nurses to calm her down after her little slapping episode in the hospital. She immediately went in to wring Teresa’s neck, shouting about God knows what at this point. She just remembers being really angry as she plans on death by strangulation when she was suddenly in Ava’s hospital room, holding her hand.

Surgery went smoothly enough. Although Ava’s left leg was broken and it had to be put in a cast. Her ribs were cracked and it was the same with her left arm. She also had the nasty gash on her head that left her with severe concussion. But all in all, Ava would be okay. Jillian made sure of that.

But that was four weeks ago.

**Present Day**

_(Mary and Lilith)_

Beatrice slammed her locker shut, hoping that the sound and force will stop Lilith and Mary from whatever it was that they were ranting about.

“Beatrice. Beatrice, I know you can hear us. Stop with this little hissy fit of yours and just talk to us like a normal person.” Mary demands as she and Lilith walk behind Beatrice, who was just trying to get away at this point.

But her response was curt. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“The hell there ain’t. Beatrice you’re not yourself. You better tell us what the fuck happened with you and Ava.”

“Nothing!” Beatrice snapped, stopping in her tracks and spinning around to face them. “Nothing happened. Alright? And even if something did, it’s none of your business! So just shut up and leave me alone.”

“Beatrice—“ Lilith starts before Beatrice shoots her a glare.

“I said shut _up!_ Just shut up, for fuck’s sake! I don’t need your little therapy session and I don’t need to explain anything to any of you! Stop talking about Ava and stop talking to me. I have to go home.”

With that, she stomped off and headed out the building while Lilith and Mary watched her. Beatrice’s little outburst didn’t go unnoticed by the people around, either. Everyone knew that Beatrice was normally calm and collected. So to see her storming off in silent rage just made them scared and nervous that they automatically made way for her. No one wanted to get on her bad side.

“We need to figure out what happened between her and Ava.” Mary decides once they couldn’t see Beatrice anymore.

Lilith nods. “I agree. I’ll take Beatrice, try to push her into talking. You take Ava. I’m sure she’ll open up to you and Shannon.”

“No can do, Lil. That will never work and you know it.” Mary says as she shakes her head. “You take Ava. You’re Beatrice’s best friend. You have to do that for her.”

“Ava will never talk to me—“

Mary stops her with a pointed look.

Lilith scowls. “Well what do you want me to do? She’s been out of school for almost a month, Mary. What, am I supposed to just go to her house and demand the crippled girl to speak?”

“What do you think?” Mary raises an eyebrow and patting Lilith’s arm. “You’ll do great. Bring Camila with you if you want since Ava softens up with that little sunshine. She won’t be as closed of. Shannon and I will handle Beatrice. Divide and conquer. Let’s bring them back together.”

“But Mary—“ Lilith stops, unable to share that Beatrice and Ava weren’t actually together. Would Beatrice want her to spill the whole betting thing? Surely not, right? Who was she to say anything about it? So she takes a deep breath and nods. “Alright, fine. I’ll take Camila and go after school.”

Mary smiles, liking when Lilith doesn’t do the whole stubborn thing. “Good girl. Now go on, I have to find Shan so we can find ways on how to corner Beatrice.”

With that, they went separate ways to start their plan on getting their friends back together.

_(Lilith)_

Lilith pulls her phone out from her bag, immediately finding Camila’s name in her messages before sending her a quick text on what they were planning to do. It wasn’t even a minute until she received a response from the small girl, obviously on board with it.

She was just about to head to her locker when she spots someone nearby. She narrows her eyes before clenching her jaw and marching all the way there.

“Hey, _bitch.”_ Lilith calls, not waiting for the person to turn around before she places a hand on her shoulder and yanks her around to face her.

“What the _fuck_ is your—“ The sentence falls short as Teresa sees Lilith towering over her. Lilith took pleasure is seeing the flash of fear flicker through Teresa’s eyes before glaring up at her. “I don’t know what the fuck your problem is with me so you better leave before I make you.”

Lilith actually chuckles at that, although it was devoid of any humor. “You? Make _me?_ I can flick you into another continent. What the hell are you doing back here? You and your hooligan friends should be expelled.”

“I only had suspension.” Teresa hissed, balling up her fists beside her.

“You should be arrested.” Lilith retorts, keeping her voice level and calm. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to get proof that you were involved in that little party. Bring it to Superion so we can be rid of you for good.”

Teresa was just about to answer before biting her tongue, instead choosing to purposely bump into Lilith’s side as she walks away.

“It’s your fault she’s in a wheelchair.” Lilith added, smirking when she feels Teresa stop in her spot. Lilith turns around, folding her arms over her chest as she starts to walk around Teresa, looking her up and down. “How does it feel? Being the person to put our star soccer player _back_ in a wheelchair?”

Teresa keeps her gaze on the floor, her eyebrows furrowed. “That wasn’t my fault.”

“Oh, wasn’t it?” Lilith raises her eyebrows, not paying mind to the people who were looking and listening in. She wanted that. Needed them to add onto Teresa’s guilt. If Beatrice were here, she’d be proud of Lilith. “Because I asked around. As did Camila. The people who gave statements, the police who took them? They all say that you were the cause of it.”

“That’s not true!” Teresa tries to defend herself, although it was clear that the guilt was eating her up. “It wasn’t—“

Lilith holds up a hand, stopping Teresa from speaking further. “Shhh, shut up. I didn’t tell you to speak. Were you not the one who didn’t see the motorcycle coming? Weren’t you the one not being careful? Ava had to push you away because you’re too stupid tp pay attention to your surroundings. You only care for yourself. Didn’t you tell the police that you just wanted to get some snacks with her, when you should have been driving her home like she asked? Weren’t you the one who over and over again convinced her to come with you and your band of hoodlums when she didn’t want to? Are you denying that? Because I can track down the people who were in that hallway. The ones who heard you convincing her to come.”

“I–I...” Teresa tries to speak, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. Because Lilith was right. She wouldn’t be trying so hard to ask for forgiveness from Ava if Lilith was just making all that up.

Unfortunately for Teresa, Lilith wasn’t done. “You broke a perfectly happy couple up because you were selfish. You wanted Ava all to yourself despite her being happy and in love with Beatrice. Tell me, do you think you deserve Ava? Before and after what you’ve done? You tried to rip her away from her happiness and you did! Congratulations. You even put Ava in danger. And not only that, but you had the nerve to go and party with your friends while Ava is at home suffering from your mistake. You know, it’s clear to me what your future is. It’s either an inmate or a homewrecker. Most likely both.”

Teresa looks around, seeing the looks people were giving her with the information they’ve just received and talking to each other in hushed voices. She knew they were talking about her. The room starts to spin, her breathing starting to quicken.

“And not only that. Everyone knows that Ava was paralyzed before. Has been wheelchair bound before making her miraculous recovery. Worked her way to the top before you shattered it. You put her back in a wheelchair.“

Lilith stands in front of Teresa now, placing her perfectly manicured fingers under her chin to lift her gaze up. Lilith wanted to see Teresa’s reaction in her eyes. “ _You_ crippled Ava. Again.”

With that, the color drains from Teresa face, Lilith taking immense pleasure out of it. Teresa forces herself away from Lilith and stumbles back slightly. She hears the growing words from the crowd, all accusing her. All painting her out to be the bad guy.

And then she bolted.

Lilith watched her run away, a smirk still on her lips. She wasn’t one to defend Ava, but she knew Teresa deserved that. Beatrice is her best friend and to her, anyone who fucks with Beatrice doesn’t deserve to be shown kindness. She may not hurt Teresa physically, but words and rumors were all fair game. If Beatrice doesn’t beat her to it, she would be the one to take the bitch down.

She takes her phone out again and texts Mary, telling her that she’s headed off to Ava’s with Camila.

_(Mary, Shannon, and Beatrice)_

Mary reads the message on her phone before spotting Shannon walking out of her class. She can’t help but smile, of course. Because god damn her girlfriend is _hot._

She walks up to Shannon, and as if on cue her heart skips a beat when she sees her girlfriend light up when their eyes meet. She wanted nothing more than to just spend time together as always, get lost in their little world, but they had more pressing matters to attend to.

“Lilith agreed to take Ava along with Camila. So we’re on Beatrice duty.” Mary informs her. Somehow, Shannon just understood what she was referring to.

“Of course. Let’s go.”

They didn’t waste any time. They both knew Beatrice didn’t have any meetings or practices today, so she was most likely at home. Probably burying herself in unnecessary schoolwork to keep from sulking.

At this point in their friendship, they didn’t really need to knock or ask permission to come over. The guards already knew who they were so Mary and Shannon drove through the gates and let themselves into the house. If they had knocked and made themselves known, Beatrice would never come and talk to them.

They checked the places they knew Beatrice frequented around the house first before deciding that she was probably holed up in her room. They shot each other a knowing look before busting in. They didn’t bother on ringing the doorbell for the front door, why should they bother with knocking? It will just give Beatrice the chance to lock them out.

“Beatrice, you repressed little fuck.”

Said girl jumped slightly at Mary’s voice, having been so invested in a study that she barely heard a noise outside her room. As soon as she calmed down, her face became cold.

“Mary,” Shannon tuts, shaking her head at her girlfriend before letting out a breath and walking closer to Beatrice. “Why don’t you take a break for a minute, Bea? We all know you don’t really need the extra reading.”

“I’m fine.” Beatrice snaps, head turning to her book again. “Please leave me alone.”

“No can do, Beatrice. You know we have to talk.” Mary says as she sits down on Beatrice’s perfectly made bed.

Shannon gently places a hand on Beatrice shoulder, pulling her away from her book. Beatrice knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of this since Shannon is here. It was easier to shake off Mary and shut her out, but not Shannon. So she gives in and turns her chair to face the two.

“What is it?”

“And just like that, Beatrice’s warm disposition vanished along with Ava.” Mary mumbles, avoiding the glare of her girlfriend who came and sat beside her by looking around the room.

“We wanted to speak to you about what happened. Between you and Ava. This isn’t like you, Beatrice. Shutting us out? Snapping at everyone? Avoiding everyone who tries to talk to you? That’s not you.” Shannon starts and immediately sees Beatrice soften before steeling herself again.

“I’ve just been busy. That’s all.”

Mary shakes her head. “It’s more than that. Something happened between you and Ava. Otherwise, you’d be all over her. With her. Talking about her. Probably killing that girl she was with and asking us for help with hiding the body. Not...what’s the word? Depressed? Reclusive?”

“I’m not depressed nor am I a recluse.” Beatrice argued, crossing her arms. “I’ve told you. I’m just busy is all. Ava can take care of herself. She doesn’t need me and I’ve never needed her.”

“Lies.” Mary calls out. “You’re just being a repressed little fuck because you two broke up and now you’re sad. And you’re trying to bury it by acting unbothered even though it’s tearing you up inside when you should be letting it out. You can’t keep bottling everything up, Beatrice. You’ll explode.”

Shannon shoots a look at Mary before sighing. “Well I wasn’t going to put it like that, but Mary’s right.”

But Beatrice is stubborn. “No. I’m not repressed. It’s just silly little school dating. It doesn’t mean anything.” Her voice betrays her towards the end, wavering a little. She chokes down the emotions and clenches her jaw. “Please understand. Ava and I are over. There’s no going back, just moving on. It was nothing.“

That was a total lie, obviously. It was everything.

Mary and Shannon shared a look, having a silent conversation for a moment. They both knew they weren’t getting through to Beatrice right now. She was too closed off, so they needed a different approach. They nod to each other before Shannon stands up. She walks closer to Beatrice while Mary slides the drawer open to the nightstand.

“Everyone knows it’s not nothing, Bea.” Shannon says softly as she hands Beatrice an unopened bottle of water, having her take a drink. “If it were, you wouldn’t be reacting this way. If it was nothing, you wouldn’t be hurting. But you are, even if you won’t admit it to us or to yourself. We understand, you’re not used to all that. But we know that what you had with Ava is special. And you know it too. It was beautiful, seeing you two together.”

Mary then walks up to them, placing a framed photo on Beatrice lap. Her eyes fall to the image of her and Ava, her favorite one from the night of the ferris wheel ride. Ava of course decided to catch Beatrice off guard with a kiss on the cheek, but surprisingly Beatrice just smiled and took the photo. She had printed it out and kept it on the table beside her bed, telling Ava that it was so her parents could see it and piss them off further. But really, she just wanted to remember that wonderful night. Always.

“Seeing you happy with her, the way she melts your stress and worries, it was amazing. You deserve that, Beatrice. You deserve that kind of happiness.” Mary rubs her back, letting the girl stare at the picture. “Fight for what you deserve, Bea. Relationships aren’t easy. There will always be times where it feels like it’s the end of the road but you and Ava? Your road is far from over. There’s still this life, and there will be the next.”

Shannon smiles at Mary’s words, somehow loving her even more. Once she notices that Beatrice was lost in her thoughts, she gestures to Mary that they should leave. Shannon leans down and kisses the top of Beatrice’s head like the big sister that she is before taking Mary’s hand and leaving the room.

It was always best to let Beatrice think things through. Give her quiet time. It was her thing, after all. The two only hoped that as they drove away, their words got through to Beatrice to break the bad thoughts. Replace them with good ones. Ones worth fighting for.

Unfortunately, Beatrice didn’t have much time to dwell on the words and memories before hears the doorbell ring throughout the house. She knows she’s the only one home so she has no choice but to stand up and answer the door herself.

She carefully places the framed photo on her desk along with the water, swiping at her eyes to make sure that there were no tears before making her way downstairs to open the door.

_(Beatrice and Michael)_

“Michael?” Beatrice looked surprised as she came to the door, and rightfully so. Because Ava’s little brother was standing in front of her, looking up at her with a small smile before stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Okay, she has to admit. She may not be comfortable around kids, but she has come to adore Michael during the time her and Ava were “together.”

And while she has gone back to keeping everyone behind newly formed walls, she wasn’t going to turn this boy away. So she hugged him back before pulling away and rubbing his back.

“What are you doing here, Michael? Who are you with? Does your mother or Ava know you’re here?” Beatrice questions gently, looking around and seeing a black car parked right outside the gates.

And sure enough, Michael points to said car. “My uncle Kristian drove me while Ava is at Arq-Tech for a checkup. He’s supposed to be watching me so I’m not alone and I wanted to see you.”

“You wanted to see me?” Beatrice furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she stares at the boy in front of her before sighing a moment later and nodding. “Alright, come on then. Why don’t we go to the garden? There’s a swing there. I think you’ll like it.”

Michael smiles and nods before taking Beatrice’s outstretched hand, letting her lead him to their beautifully kept garden. He visibly lights up when he sees the swing, already letting go of the hand he was holding so he can go sit. Beatrice let him, of course. She understood that he was still a child. But that was also what confused her, since it wasn’t like children to come to their adoptive sister’s fake ex girlfriend’s house.

“Is she doing okay?” Beatrice asked after a moment, just watching Michael smile as he swings back and forth. The question slowed his momentum down, but not by much. Just enough to properly speak.

“She’s sad.” He answers, his eyes flickering down to the grass for a split second. “You’re sad too, aren’t you?”

Beatrice sighs before taking a seat on the unoccupied swing, turning so she can still look at Michael. “It’s not easy being in an accident and being confined to a wheelchair. Once Ava gets better, her mood will improve.”

“That’s not why she’s sad.” He shakes his head, and Beatrice furrowed her eyebrows. Do eleven year olds really talk like this? “You’re both sad for the same reason.”

“Michael, I know you’re worried for her but she made a decision. It’s out of my hands. We’ve...broken up. And that’s that.” Beatrice explains gently, knowing that she can’t exactly tell him that everything was fake.

To her surprise, Michael refused her explanation. “I don’t believe that it is. She’s just angry at what happened. But she’s not angry with you. And she didn’t mean to push you away. You make her happy. More than that girl who keeps coming over.”

“Girl? What girl?” Beatrice asked immediately, although she already had a feeling of who it was. She just didn’t want to accept it.

Michael seemed to think about it, as if he was having trouble remembering the name despite the girl coming over constantly. “I think it was Tessa? Or Trisha?”

“Teresa.” Beatrice practically spit out the name, anger immediately flaring up.

“Yeah, that’s her. She always comes over, even if Ava tells her not to. Ava locks herself in her room until the girl leaves. But sometimes she catches Ava and always tries to do things for her.” Michael stops swinging as he speaks, clearly not very fond of the events. “Ava is always in a bad mood after. Mummy says I shouldn’t interrupt but I don’t like it. I don’t like the girl.”

Beatrice takes a deep breath before nodding. “You and me both, Michael.”

“She’s been having nightmares too.”

“Nightmares?”

Michael nods. “I hear her screaming at night. Mummy tells me to go back to sleep, that Ava is okay. But I know she’s not. I asked her about them and she says that she feels like she’s back in the orphanage most nights. She wakes up and she’s not able to move properly. She hates it.”

“Oh. That’s...that’s really not good.” Beatrice mumbles as she fiddles with her fingers. “But Michael, why are you telling me this?”

“So you can come and talk to her.” He says simply, as if it was the most obvious thing to do. As if it were that easy. She supposes that from a child’s point of view, it was.

“Michael...I care deeply for Ava. I do. But the last time we talked, we fell apart. I can’t talk to her properly if she shuts me out. I know that she won’t want to even see me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“What?”

“You don’t know that.” Michael repeats. Sometimes, this kid is really just something. “You don’t know that she doesn’t want to see you. It’s Ava. She always wants to see you. And you know you want to see her too.”

Beatrice just stares at Michael for a moment, not sure how to respond to that. But he only smiles at the silence. Because somehow, even someone as young as him knows that the words have gone through successfully. He checks his watch (do most eleven year olds have watches?) and stands up from the swing.

“I have to go home now. Ava will be back soon. I wish it was you coming over, not that other girl. She’s weird.” He says, making Beatrice smile and shake her head before standing up.

“She is.” She agrees before placing her hand on Michael’s back. “Come, I’ll walk you to the car. And please, don’t go anywhere without telling your mum or sister first, okay? You and your uncle could get in trouble.”

Michael nods as they walk away from the garden. “Only this one time.”

“Good.” She smiles, ruffling his hair affectionately. The way she sees Ava do it. They make their way to the gate and she lets Michael get in the car, waving to him as he smiles at her before watching them drive away.

_(Beatrice)_

Beatrice makes her way back into the house, quietly closing the door behind her as Mary, Shannon, _and_ Michael’s words swam around in her head. Were they right?

No, she and Ava went their separate ways for a reason.

_‘But why does it feel like a mistake?’_ Her mind questions, causing her heartbeat to pick up its pace.

“It’s better this way.” Beatrice whispers, actually debating with herself.

_‘Is it? It’s neither easy nor painless. So how is it better? How are you better off like this? How is Ava?’_

“Because.”

_‘Because you’re a coward? Too afraid to fight for her? Because you’d rather have her sad and heartbroken? Her bones are already broken, do you have to let her heart shatter too?’_

“Shut up!” She demands, and the voice in her head doesn’t come back.

But that doesn’t mean the voice has given up.

* * *

_(Ava and Teresa)_

Meanwhile Teresa didn’t stop running until she reached her car. She practically yanks the door open before hopping in and driving towards Ava’s house. She got Chanel to give up the address a while back and she knows that constantly going over to Ava’s house was a violation of her privacy (and possibly harassment) but she had to make it up to her somehow.

She eventually reaches the house and she leaves her car out front (which would later get towed, causing her to walk home) before hopping the gate to repeatedly knock on the front door. It didn’t take very long until it swung open, seeing Ava in her electric wheelchair.

Ava crinkled her nose when she sees Teresa, already starting to close the door before a boot stops it.

“Wait—“ Teresa said hurriedly.

“Stop. I’m not in the mood. Just please, go away. I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Ava. I just want to talk to you. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Obviously, Ava grew frustrated. She had a very short fuse these days, and rightfully so. “I’m back in a fucking wheelchair! How am I okay?”

Teresa winced slightly but she supposes she deserves that. “I’m sorry, poor choice of words. I just–can we please talk? Properly?”

“Fine.” Ava decides after a moment, moving back from the door and guiding her wheelchair into the living room. Thankfully, her left arm was doing better since it was only fractured and not broken. She didn’t even need a cast anymore. Just the occasional sling.

Teresa closes the door and follows her in, relieved that Ava was in a somewhat decent mood. Enough to want to talk to her, since her other attempts didn’t go so good. She couldn’t even get Ava’s brother on her side. And how hard was it to get a kid to like her?

“I’m not going to ask how you are. I know it’s stupid.” Teresa starts once she takes a seat, keeping her eyes on Ava. “I just wanted to talk. And apologize. Again. Look, I know it’s my fault that this happened to you. I know that everything got fucked up and you’re in pain and there’s nothing I can do to change that even though I’d do anything in order to do so.”

Ava furrows her eyebrows. “Well then what exactly do you want to talk about if it’s not that?”

“The conversation we were having right before everything went wrong.” Teresa answers, hating the way Ava’s face darkened.

“Look I don’t know why you want—“

Teresa cuts her off. “I like you, Ava. That’s what I was trying to say.”

“Okay just hold on for a second there—“

But Teresa still doesn’t let her finish. “I want you to give me a chance. I wasn’t going to give up when you were with Beatrice and I’m certainly not going to give up now. I just want a chance with you, Ava.”

“Don’t bring her into this.” Ava whispers, the name tugging at her heart. _Beatrice._ Ava hasn’t seen her in a while and she’d be lying if she said she hasn’t missed the girl. Despite the obvious fallout between the two.

Teresa seems to notice the look on Ava’s face do she decides to push on.

“You’re not together anymore, Ava. And I know that you need some time. I’m okay with that just as long as I know that I have a chance. I can help you, okay? Let me make it up to you. I can spend the rest of my life helping you. I can stay by your side—“

_(Ava, Camila, Lilith, and Teresa)_

“What about you _stay_ away?”

Both Ava and Teresa turned their heads at the voice, seeing Lilith standing there with Camila and Michael. Lilith was glaring hard at Teresa, and Ava immediately intervened.

“Michael, please go upstairs.” Ava says, making Michael nod and run upstairs so all the girls can be left alone. Once he was out of earshot, Camila apologized.

“Sorry, we needed someone to let us in the gate. We didn’t think you’d answer...so I FaceTimed him.”

Ava sighs and rubs her face. “It’s fine, Cam. I just don’t want him to be here for all this. What are you doing here anyway?”

“Lilith...Lilith wanted to talk.”

“And I thought that you would’ve stayed away. After all, it was agreed that you’re not good enough.” Lilith sneered at Teresa, taking a step forward before being stopped by Camila.

Of course, Ava looked confused. “What? What’s happening here?”

“Nothing, Ava. Lilith just really wants to talk about the whole....Beatrice situation. Just the three of us.” Camila says carefully, unsure of how Ava would react. Thank God she only tensed up and not immediately throw them out.

“I’m sorry, but no. Ava and I were having a conversation before Ice Queen here so rudely interrupted.” Teresa cuts in, matching Lilith’s glare. But surprisingly, Camila beat her to speaking.

“And who the fuck are you to decide that you’re more important?” She questions, and Ava and Lilith could only look at her in shock. She had been the most calm and polite up until now.

“Excuse me? Who the fuck—“

Before any of them could react, Camila took a page out of Beatrice’s book and slapped Teresa right across her left cheek. She moved with surprising speed, and no one really spoke due to surprise (and partial fear) until Camila decides to break it.

“Who do you think you are? Coming here and deciding to force yourself into Ava’s life? You broke her and her girlfriend apart, you caused her accident, and yet you have the audacity to show your face here and beg Ava for a chance? So you can still fucking bag her? What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?” Camila’s voice was surprisingly calm. And somehow, that made it even more terrifying.

Teresa of course, was at a loss for words. She just cradled her red stinging cheek before standing up abruptly. She glared at Camila before her gaze moved to Lilith but immediately softened when her eyes landed on Ava.

“I’m not giving up on you.”

With that, she grabs her bag and leaves. Ava didn’t stop her, of course. She had no reason to. Teresa’s words only gave her an unsettling feeling.

It was a whole two minutes of awkward silence before Lilith speaks up. “Ava, we need to talk. About Beatrice.”

Ava was back to tensing up. “Lilith now isn’t a good time. I told you before, we’re done. We’re broken up.”

“How can you be broken up when you were never together in the first place?”

Lilith would’ve winced at the rate Camila’s neck snapped towards her when she heard that, but that wasn’t the primary concern right now.

“I’m sorry, what?” Camila looks back and forth between Ava and Lilith, but both were just looking at each other.

“So I’m assuming you and Beatrice agreed on the same thing? Not even telling your respective best friends?” Lilith questions, although not giving Ava any time to answer. Instead, she turns to Camila. “Beatrice only told me by accident when we were driving to the hospital. She and Ava weren’t actually dating. It was fake.”

Camila looks to Ava for confirmation, and she can’t help but feel a pang of hurt when Ava confirms with a small nod. They were best friends, how could she just leave her out of the loop like that?

“I’m sorry, Cam. I promise, I’ll explain everything to you once I can. Please don’t be mad, I can explain.” Ava looks up at Camila, tears in her eyes before sighing and moving her gaze back to Lilith. “I don’t know why we need to talk about it. Either way, it’s over. She won’t have to see me and I won’t have to see her. Everything is fine. It’s better that way.”

Lilith snorts. “Bullshit. Nothing is fine and it won’t get better because this whole thing is a fucking shitshow! Why the fuck have you been avoiding Beatrice?”

“I’m not avoiding—“

“Then why did you fall apart?”

“That’s really none of your business—“

“She’s my fucking best friend! Of course it’s my business!”

Ava takes a deep breath as she calms her breathing. Hands were starting to hurt from how tightly she clenched them on her lap. But she had to deal with this, seeing as she can’t exactly run away from it.

Yet somehow, a saving grace in a form of the doorbell ringing has come through for Ava. She made a mental note to thank her lucky star for that later.

But then _she_ appeared.

_(Ava and Beatrice)_

“Bea...” Ava practically whispers, her eyes locked on Beatrice as she stops in her tracks.

Beatrice shifts a bit, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze of Lilith and Camila. She hadn’t expected them to be there. But she wasn’t going to back down now. She needed to be here.

“Ava. I’ve missed you.”


	15. Sad Beautiful Tragic (not necessarily in that order)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this is mostly dialogue. Read on if you don't mind but I don't think you're missing much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wait, are you guys still with me?

_(the hospital, four weeks ago)_

“Beatrice. We need to talk.” Lilith says pointedly as soon as Beatrice stepped out of Ava’s hospital room after Jillian and Camila stepped in. She figured that it would be best to give them some privacy, and she couldn’t exactly leave Lilith on her own for a long time.

Of course, she knew the talk was inevitable. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t dread it. She’s never kept much from Lilith, and that was pretty much the same since their childhood. Lilith was the first person she came out to, and was almost always the first to know something about her. So there was no doubt that she was feeling betrayed by what she and Ava kept from her.

“I know, Lilith.” Beatrice whispers before taking a seat on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs.

Sure, Lilith could see that Beatrice was having a hard time. But she needed answers. “You lied to all of us.”

“Technically it wasn’t a blatant lie....just not giving you all the facts.” Beatrice mumbles, keeping her eyes on her lap because she just knew Lilith was getting more and more frustrated with her. Still, it didn’t feel right revealing everything without Ava to back her up or add onto their explanation.

“It was a lie.”

Beatrice takes a deep breath before nodding. “Fine. It was a lie.”

Lilith rolled her eyes before sitting down beside Beatrice, keeping her eyes on her the entire time. “Go on, then. Start at the beginning.”

“There really isn’t much to explain, Lilith. I was tired of my parents constantly on me about every little thing and they already hated Ava from what they saw and heard from teachers. I wanted to rebel against them, so I asked Ava if she could fake being my girlfriend to piss them off. But we somehow ended up with a bet. Whoever falls in love first, loses.”

“So? Who won?”

Beatrice shakes her head. “No one. There’s no winning here, Lilith. I just have to accept that. Ava was never mine in the first place and it was stupid of me to think otherwise.”

“That doesn’t make sense, though. You two had everyone convinced that you were together. The way you two looked at each other was different. Look, you know I’m not a fan of her but I’m not blind. That girl wasn’t playing the bet as much as she should have.” Lilith says, surprisingly. Was she really defending Ava right now?

But Beatrice didn’t question it, she only shakes her head. “She’s just really good, Lilith. You don’t know the amount of times she’s asked me if she’s won yet. I’m just glad I put up the no kissing rule before things got out of hand.”

_‘You didn’t think that way when you were about to kiss her on that ferris wheel.’_ A voice piped up in the back of her mind, only to shush it away.

“Well then what about you? What’s going on in there?” Lilith asks as she taps Beatrice’s chest with her finger, right on top of her heart. “You’ve hardly talked to me the past two months, Bea. What happened? I know you’re closed off, but not with me. Never with me.”

Regret flashed across Beatrice’s face for a second, genuinely feeling bad about not looping her best friend in. But she wanted to be selfish. She wanted what she and Ava had to just be hers. Even if it wasn’t real.

Finally, she sighs. “I know, Lilith. And I truly am sorry. But Ava and I had a deal. We were to leave you and Camila out of it. It’s not that we don’t trust you, we do. Immensely. But we both felt that it was better off with just us knowing about it. It was less complicated that way.”

“How is this less complicated? You know I’m always going to stand by your side—“

“You would have talked me out of it.” Beatrice cuts off. “And I would have listened. Because yes, it was stupid. But I just wanted to be reckless for once, Lilith. I wanted to challenge everything and Ava gave me that opportunity. It was exhilarating, keeping that secret. Tricking everyone, even my parents. I was selfish, but I liked it.”

Lilith stared at Beatrice for a moment, a thousand thoughts running through her head. Clearly, this wasn’t the same Beatrice she grew up with. This Beatrice was different–someone she couldn’t quite figure out anymore. But she was happier. Undeniably so. And who was she to question that if Ava was the reason who brought it out?

Before Lilith could find something to say, Beatrice started speaking again. “Look I know you and Camila have gotten close, but please don’t tell her about this. It’s not our place to tell. That falls onto Ava. And don’t let Ava know that I told you either. If this ever gets out, please just keep this conversation between us. You understand?”

“Beatrice...we can’t just leave Camila out like that. It’s not fair to her. She deserves to know and—“

“Promise me, Lilith.” Beatrice looks her straight in the eyes, a serious look on her face. “Please.”

As much as she was against it, Lilith could only nod. “Okay. Okay, fine. I’ll let you and Ava explain yourselves. I promise.”

With that, Beatrice nods and leans back against the uncomfortable hospital chair, letting out a deep deep breath as she closes her eyes.

She knew. She _just_ knew that everything will spiral from here.

_(present day)_

“Beatrice?” Ava repeats, clearly unsure of why Beatrice was there. And half not believing it either. “What are you doing here?”

Lilith looked over at her best friend, practically seeing her mind work as she comes up with what to say. Whatever Mary and Shannon did seems to have worked, because she was here. And she was actually acknowledging her feelings. Her _real_ feelings.

“I told you. I’ve missed you.” Beatrice’s answer is firm, although it didn’t take the warmth away.

Ava watched her curiously from her wheelchair before looking up at Lilith and Camila, trying to figure out if they had anything to do with this. Lilith noticed her and shrugged, while Camila just looked away. Again, a wave of guilt washed over her. She knew she should have told Camila, but she wanted to keep it to herself. She wanted the secret to just be hers and Beatrice’s. Wanted everyone to know that it was real and not have the same burden as those who carry the secret.

No matter, she was going to fix this. She would. Ava wasn’t going to let her friendship with Camila be ruined over something like this.

“Well, now that you’re here,” Lilith lets out a breath before placing a hand on Camila’s back. “I think you two owe Camila some explaining. And I need clarifications too, honestly. Because I have no idea what the hell is going on with you two.”

“Lilith, we’ve talked about this.” Beatrice warned as she tried not to let her voice shake. Hadn’t Lilith promised not to bring this up to Camila? She can’t have Ava know that she told anyone.

But Lilith knew how Beatrice’s mind worked. “I know what you’re thinking, Beatrice. And if you’ll recall, I promised that I’ll let you and Ava explain yourselves to Camila. Not that I wouldn’t tell her. You were too distressed to even correct me on that.”

“You told her?” Ava questions as she looks over at Beatrice, eyebrows furrowed. “When?”

Beatrice sighs, knowing there was no way out of this now. All she could do was to explain and hope that she and Ava don’t blow up again. “At the hospital. The night you got into an accident.”

“To be fair, it was only an accident.” Lilith steps in, wanting to take some of the pressure off of Beatrice. “We were driving there after Camila called and she was so freaked out about everything that she just blurted it out. So if you think that she said it willingly, she didn’t.”

Ava glances over at Beatrice again, her eyebrows furrowed. She desperately wanted to get away from all this explaining and just lock herself away in her room. Pretend that everything is okay. But she couldn’t, could she? Lilith will probably just yank her wheelchair back anyway.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Camila asks, voice small as she finally looks at Ava. “I thought you trusted me enough to tell me everything. You called me your sister.”

“You are!” Ava says quickly, not wanting Camila to think what she was thinking. “You are, Cam. And I trust you with everything, you know that. But this...this was different. This was between me and Beatrice. We didn’t want you guys to know so you wouldn’t have to deal with our secret.” She explains, willing herself not to look at Beatrice as she works up the courage to say her next words.

“Because we knew we wouldn’t last. At the end of the day, we were just a bet. A deal waiting to end. We were bound to break apart, one way or another. Beatrice and I weren’t real and I doubt we ever will.” It was harsh, but it was true.

Beatrice’s eyes quickly found Ava, a sickening tightness suddenly found its way to her chest. She takes a shaky breath, her mind flashing the memory of what happened just two weeks ago.

_(Ava’s house, a couple weeks back)_

“How is she?” Beatrice asks as she steps in through the front door after greeting Jillian.

Jillian gives her a small sad smile. “She’s been better. But her mood is understandable. She’s just frustrated that she can’t do much on her own anymore. Again.”

“But she knows this is only temporary, right? Until she heals? The doctor said that she’s going to be okay. Her spine wasn’t harmed at all.” Beatrice furrows her eyebrows, thinking about how Ava’s attitude towards everything has been so off ever since she came home from the hospital.

“She does, she knows. But you know her. She’s become quite independent so this is throwing her off.” Jillian says before reaching up to rub Beatrice’s back. “I’m sure her mood will improve once she sees you. Everything is always better when you’re around. Go on, she’s in her room.”

Beatrice nods and smiles at her. “Thank you.”

With that, she maneuvers her way towards Ava’s room. She’s already gotten used to the house by now, but everytime she was there she always took a few seconds to look at each photo. Seeing Ava so happy with her family also brought joy to Beatrice. Of course, the jealousy and longing to have that kind of relationship with her parents was there but she wasn’t going to show it or voice it out.

She passes by Michael’s room and sees the door open, which she can’t help but look into just to check in on the boy she’s grown close to. Mostly because Ava always insists that the three of them spend time together. Not that she minded, of course. She really did enjoy reading to both brother and sister. Plus, it made Ava all sleepy and cuddly which Beatrice admits (only to herself of course, and for selfish reasons) she adores. She sees him on his bed asleep, which didn’t surprise her since this was normally his time for naps.

She smiles a little before quietly continuing on to Ava’s room, knocking softly a few times before turning the doorknob and entering.

She hasn’t been here for a while. It’s not that she didn’t want to, but all her schoolwork and extra curriculars got piled up after Ava’s accident. She wanted to be in the hospital as much as she could after Ava woke up, so in turn she neglected her schoolwork and practices for the time being. A small price to pay for Ava, really. But now she needed to catch up, which meant taking time away from Ava.

“Ava?” Beatrice calls, seeing her ‘girlfriend’ staring out the window in her wheelchair, her back turned to Beatrice. “I brought our snacks.”

Obviously, her attempt to get Ava’s attention fell short. Although Ava’s bad mood wasn’t new, it still saddened Beatrice. Where was the girl who was always smiling? Always joking, always so excited? This girl was nothing but a shell. But Beatrice was determined. She may not have been here much, but she would make up for it.

“I didn’t know you were coming today.” Ava’s voice was hoarse. Aside from the fact that she rarely smiled anymore, she barely even talked. She talked and smiled for Michael, not wanting the younger boy to worry, but they all knew it was halfhearted at best.

Beatrice closes the door behind her and makes her way towards Ava, standing right behind her before placing a hand on her shoulder as a greeting. “Practice fell through.”

“Ah, so you’ve got nothing better to do.” Ava nods, not even looking up at Beatrice or acknowledging her touch. Normally, she would already be intertwining her fingers through Beatrice’s own already. “You could’ve just spent time with your friends, you know. You didn’t have to come here.”

“I–what?” Beatrice was taken aback, not used to this side of Ava. This was the first time she witnessed this attitude. “You _are_ my friend, Ava. And you know I enjoy spending time with you. I wanted to spend my free time with you, here. Just like we always do after school.”

Ava internally winced at the word _friend._ Before the accident, she felt like they were more. And yet, that was all they were. Granted, that wasn’t how everyone else saw them but they knew the truth. They both shared it.

“Here, why don’t we watch something? It’s been a while since we got caught up with our movie list.” Beatrice changes the subject, not wanting to dwell on that topic any longer. She knew better than to move Ava’s wheelchair since the girl gets irritated and angry whenever someone does that, so instead she just makes her way to Ava’s bed and sits on it.

After a moment of silence, Ava turns her chair and makes her way over to the bed, but Ava’s eyes were anywhere other than Beatrice. She hated that, that Ava can’t seem to just look at her. The air shifted between them, and suddenly all comfort and familiarity was gone.

“Ava?” Beatrice whispers, wanting to get rid of whatever tension was in between them. She hated this. She hated that something was wrong, that she could actually _feel_ it deep inside herself. Her pulse started to raise, and she got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Finally, Ava looks at her. But her eyes looked empty as she spoke. “I want this to stop.”

Beatrice feels the air being ripped from her lungs. But she forces herself to say something, to clarify. She needed to know that Ava was talking about something else, that it wasn’t what she was thinking.

“What–what are you talking about? Stop what?” Beatrice tried her best to keep her voice from shaking, although failing. She silently curses at herself for that. She used to be so good at keeping her emotions at bay. She struggled to let them show. And now suddenly she was struggling holding them back.

It seems that Ava and her have switched roles completely.

Ava was usually the one who lets all her emotions out and now, hardly anything was showing. Her voice held no emotion, her eyes were empty. Her words were hollow.

“This. Us. I want us to stop, Beatrice.”

Beatrice never understood how people could get so broken over losing someone they never had in the first place. She used to wonder how that was even possible. Why waste time with those feelings? And yet now, nothing was more clear.

She feels her blood run cold at Ava’s words. This has always been a possibility. An outcome she has hoped never to come. And yet, it did. Now she didn’t know what to say, or how to stop the pounding in her heart. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes, making Ava shake her head.

“This has gone on too long. There’s nothing to gain here. _This,”_ Ava motions between them, “isn’t going anywhere. So, I want this to stop.”

Beatrice finally lets out a shaky breath after a few seconds, just enough to swallow the lump in her throat. Her mind was still blank, and her heartbeat hasn’t slowed down at all. The feeling in her stomach made her want to throw up because she _didn’t want this_. She wanted Ava. She wanted the two of them together and she knows that but she can’t seem to say it out loud.

“Ava I—where is this coming from? I thought...I thought we were good? We’re doing good, everyone believes us. What’s happening?” She manages to ask, a bit confused as to what triggered Ava to say all this. “I know everything is a bit fragile at the moment but you don’t have to push me away—“

“Stop, Beatrice. Stop.” Ava cuts off, moving her wheelchair back to keep more space in between them. “I don’t want to hear this. This was built on a lie that everyone ate up and you know it.”

Before Beatrice could say anything, Ava continued. “I mean, this is so stupid! Who the fuck are we fooling here? I don’t even go to school anymore. Who do we have to fake it to? No one is fucking around! You don’t have to keep pretending that you care about me!”

“Ava I do care about you! Why would you say that?” Beatrice says immediately, her eyebrows furrowing.

But Ava just shakes her head. “No. You don’t care about me, you pity me. And I don’t fucking need that from anyone let alone you. I mean, what the fuck are we? We were never friends. So why do we have to keep pretending? We’re nothing when we’re alone together and you know that. All we have is a front. Us? Whatever that was? That wasn’t real, Beatrice. We were nothing but a bet that went too far. It was a mistake. Entertaining _you_ was a mistake.”

Beatrice stared at Ava, honestly preferring that she get pierced by one of her arrows than be here for this conversation. Her heart feels heavy and the tears have started burning her eyes. But she refuses to let them fall. She can’t in fear that they may never stop.

But then Ava continues on. “You only got close to me because you needed something from me. Because perfect princess Beatrice finally got tired of pleasing her mommy and daddy.”

“Shut up.” Beatrice snaps. All traces of sadness and nervousness suddenly washed away from her upon hearing the words that Ava just dropped. “So what if that’s true? Don’t act like you didn’t like the attention that you got from me and everyone around. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? That’s why you agreed to do this. All to get the attention you never got as a kid.”

Beatrice was kind and patient. She didn’t retaliate when she was being attacked. Verbally, especially. But Ava was getting a bit too much to handle and something in Beatrice just snapped. So when Ava glared at her, she wasn’t as affected by it as she thought she would have.

“That’s rich coming from you who’s done nothing but overachieve in order to get validation.” Ava shoots back, her hand that wasn’t in a cast balled into a fist on the armrest. “So go ahead and take your attention giving ass. It’s not like you’re ever here anyway. You’re never here.”

“Because I have other things I need to do, Ava!” Beatrice nearly screamed as she rises to her feet, not sure how they spiralled into this conversation. “The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know! Not everything is about you. Just because you’re stuck in a wheelchair again doesn’t mean that everyone will just stop what they’re doing to stand by your side 24/7. That’s incredibly selfish of you. Especially with your recent attitude.”

By the time Beatrice finished speaking, she was breathing heavily. She didn’t think that she’d go that far, but it was out there. There was no taking it back. That seemed to have shaken Ava up, because for a brief moment fear passed through her eyes as she stared at Beatrice. Although she quickly recollected herself in order to respond, Beatrice started speaking again. It was clear that her tongue was as sharp as her mind.

“You seem to forget that we had lives before we met you. Lives that don’t involve you. _I_ have a life that doesn’t need you in it. Quit acting like a spoiled brat. No one is going to just drop everything that they’re doing to come rushing by your side.”

In a desperate attempt to save her pride, Ava brought up the one person she knew would drive Beatrice crazy. It was low, but she’s not going down without a fight.

“Teresa will.” She says clearly, keeping her eyes on Beatrice just to see her reaction. Predictably, Beatrice stiffened up at the sound of the name. She clenches her jaw tight, not expecting that Ava would actually bring that girl up to their conversation. And to actually compare the human garbage bag to her? That was just cruel.

As much as she wanted to argue with Ava, Beatrice knew that she couldn’t let her see how much it bothered her. Her pride would win. “Then maybe you should date Teresa if she’s so great. You’ve been so interested in her ever since she popped up. Might as well get her to be your girl toy. Or hey, maybe JC can be your boy toy again since we’re bringing up people who want to worship the ground you walk on.”

“Funny.” Ava hissed from her wheelchair, and Beatrice internally cringed because wow way to rub salt in the wound. Beatrice was just about to apologize for the insensitivity before Ava gestures to the door. “I want you to leave. Now.”

Beatrice shakes her head. “No, we aren’t done talking about this.”

“Yes, I am.” Ava says with finality. “And I’m done with you. You’re not capable of a real relationship, Beatrice. You’re always going to be fake dating. Constantly trying to prove to everyone that you can do it when you _can’t._ Because you’re never going to learn how to let people in. Every relationship you’ll build is fake. That’s the whole reason why _we’re_ fake. You’ll never be able to open up with anyone you choose in the future just like you can’t even open up to me. You’re going to end up alone, one way or another.”

That made Beatrice stare at Ava even longer. While she’s always been unpredictable and a little reckless, even with her words, she never imagined that Ava could say something like that to her. Ava knows Beatrice struggled with her emotions. Did she really have to bring that up?

Unwilling to let any more of her emotions show (or maybe she just didn’t want Ava to see her tears), she finally nods. “If that’s how you feel.” She says in just above a whisper, letting her eyes fall on Ava for a second before making her way towards the door.

What was she supposed to say to that? It was clear that Ava was set in her decision. There was no turning back from the words they’ve spoken. As much as it pained Beatrice to leave things like that, there was no fixing it. All she could do was hope that she could keep herself together enough to make it home.

Ava watched Beatrice step outside her room, waiting for the door to properly close before turning her wheelchair back towards the window and movie it closer. Once she was sure that no one was outside her room, she finally let her tears fall onto her lap.

Meanwhile Beatrice did her best to slip out of the house undetected, not wanting Jillian to see her and ask happened. Luck seemed to have taken pity on her and spared her from any interaction with anyone. She quickly gets into her car before driving away, her knuckles already white as she grips the steering wheel.

But before she could get home, a sob suddenly escapes her lips and she quickly pulls over to the side of some random street. She buries her face in her hand as the tears come streaming down much faster, her sobbing only getting more painful. She didn’t think Ava‘s words would affect her this much and yet her heart was screaming.

This was her fault. She should have known that Ava would only bring her pain. She already knew that falling for Ava meant risking her heart and now here she was, desperately trying to keep it from breaking even further. She shouldn’t have risked it.

Beatrice hasn’t cried in a long time, not since the night she came out to her parents and they had been nothing but cold and harsh and disappointed. But somehow, this was worse. Because she actually _cared_ about Ava and what she thought. And she thought that maybe, Ava would care about her too. That maybe, maybe Ava felt that same way she did. But clearly she was wrong. That part has been made painfully clear. Ava never thought of Beatrice as hers.

And Ava wasn’t hers.

_(back to present day)_

“That’s stupid.” Lilith says, her eyebrows furrowed as she casts a frustrated look towards Ava and then to Beatrice. “I mean yeah sure, your relationship wasn’t exactly real but you’re forgetting that you’ve managed to make everyone believe that it was. And that takes real chemistry. So while it wasn’t real, it wasn’t entirely fake either.”

Camila nods, letting out a sigh before looking at Ava. “I know you’ve been having a hard time lately but please, don’t push us away. We’re your friends, Ava. We’re practically family already. We don’t want you to be alone through this. And that includes Beatrice. Your happiness is different around her and everyone could see it.“

“Look here’s the thing—“ Ava starts before they hear the front door open and close, followed by footsteps.

“Ava? Are you down here? Oh,” All heads suddenly turned to Jillian as she walks into the living room.

“Sorry, I didn’t know your friends were here.” She says before noticing Beatrice and smiling. “Beatrice! It’s so good to see you again. It’s nice to have you back here.”

Beatrice lifted her hand up, waving a bit awkwardly. “Oh–uhm. Hello, Doctor Salvius. It’s nice to see you again too.”

“God you’re a disaster.” Lilith muttered and Camila had to fight back a giggle that threatened to escape. It was hardly the time to be laughing when there was a serious discussion going on.

And as if sensing that something was going on, Jillian looked at Ava. “Why don’t you take this to your room? You’ll have much more privacy there.”

“Yeah. Yeah, good idea.” Ava nods before gesturing for the girls to follow her. She makes her way towards that staircase and Lilith actually had to stare for a moment before turning to Camila.

“They have a damn wheelchair lift in their house.”

Beatrice quickly turned, gesturing for her to shut up since she knew the wheelchair was a sore subject for Ava and would rather not have it brought up. “Lilith. What do we always say about your observations?”

“That I shouldn’t always voice them as soon as they come to mind.” Lilith rolls her eyes before Ava sighs and shakes her head.

“Beatrice, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s okay.” She says before getting her chair onto the lift and pressing up. “You guys know where my room is.”

The three watched as the lift took Ava and her wheelchair up. Really, they shouldn’t be surprised. This is Jillian Salvius’ house, and Ava is her daughter. Of course she found an easy way to let Ava go up and down as she pleases. She probably had a self climbing wheelchair reserved too, just in cases.

After a brief moment they finally make their way upstairs, continuing to follow Ava to her room. Once they were all in there, they kinda just stood around, not really sure how to pick up the conversation they were having downstairs.

Of course, Lilith’s impatience won. “God, someone talk already.”

“Lily,” Camila shakes her head, but knowing that Lilith was right. They needed to get this over with. “Okay, look. I’m not going to say that it’s alright that you kept this from us. I get it, you wanted something for yourselves. But if what you had was really fake, you wouldn’t be acting this way to each other. You wouldn’t be fighting or whatever it is you guys have going on. Can’t you see that?”

Ava sighs. “Cam, it’s not that easy.”

“Why not?” Lilith questions as she raises her eyebrows, crossing her arms. “You two are the only ones making this complicated. You really expect us to believe that all those looks you two had, all the happiness and laughter, all those date nights, were fake?”

“To be fair, we were trying to make the other fall in love with us. You know, bet and all.”

Beatrice nods, siding with Ava. Because what else was she supposed to do? “She’s right. We both agreed to that. And I admit, I did try my hardest to win.”

Which wasn’t a lie. Beatrice really did try, she just hoped that Ava was willing to lose before she admitted defeat herself. That way, they could’ve lost together. She definitely didn’t mind losing if it meant that. And right now, Beatrice wouldn’t mind admitting it. But not in front of Lilith and Camila. That was too much to handle.

“See? We just didn’t want you guys to deal with all of that. Especially since you two are a thing now.” Ava says as she gestures to the two who glanced at each other. “You guys mean the world to us. We didn’t want to shake up your growing relationship for the lack of ours.”

“Again, that’s stupid.” Lilith rolls her eyes. “You two are just too stubborn. Maybe push down your pride aside and actually _talk_ to each other. Open your eyes, idiots, you two like each other.”

Beatrice froze at the mention of that. Had she really been that obvious? Surely she hid it better. Didn’t she? Either way, did Ava really feel the same?

“You know what? Lilith’s right. So you two are going to stay here and talk this out. _Properly._ We’re going to be downstairs to make sure that no one escapes.” Camila decides before grabbing Lilith’s hand and pulling her towards the door.

“Wait, what?”

The two watched Lilith and Camila walk out the door, leaving the two of them alone together. They haven’t been in the same room alone since the fallout, and to say that they were nervous was an understatement.

“So....” Ava begins, not sure exactly where this should be headed. “Don’t you have an instrument to master or any club meetings or practices you need to attend?”

Beatrice shakes her head, keeping her calm as she watches Ava. “No, I don’t. I only have to be here.”

“Okay I don’t see why you _have_ to be here—“

“I have to. Because you’re here, Ava. And I’m not going to leave, even if you ask me to again.” She cuts off before taking a deep breath. “I want to fix whatever it is that went wrong between us.”

“Beatrice—“

Before she could say anything, Beatrice cuts her off. “Please, Ava. Just talk to me. I want to be here for you. They’re right, you know? We don’t have to act this way. And we wouldn’t be if there really is nothing going on between us.”

Ava stares at Beatrice after that, unable to say anything because who the heck was this person in front of her? Beatrice wasn’t one to act this way when it came to confrontation of feelings.

“I value our friendship, Ava. And don’t say that we don’t have that between us. We may not have had anything when we first started the bet, but you can’t deny that we’ve grown close since then.”

Finally, Ava willed herself to snap out of her thoughts. At least, enough to ask a question. “What are you saying, Bea?”

Beatrice takes a deep breath, knowing it was finally time to admit it.

“I don’t want anything to be fake anymore. Not with you, not with us. I like you, Ava. I don’t want to pretend anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had a crazy block during this. honestly, i just forced this out because SOME PEOPLE made deals with the devil that i had to see through. so, yeah. blame them.


	16. Let's Set This Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pure avatrice but with a lil something at the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate this chapter and it's shorter than my previous ones and and i ducking KNOW it's a mess okay i'm sorry idk man i just wanna cuddle animals rn

Listen.

Ava Silva isn’t dumb. Sure, she can be a bit dense sometimes and she might miss a few things here and there but she’s not stupid.

That being said, what Beatrice just told her left Ava staring with a lost look on her face. And of course, ever the eloquent speaker that she is, decides to answer Beatrice.

“Wha–huh?”

Beatrice can’t help but chuckle, thoroughly enjoying the cute and confused look on Ava’s face. Their relationship wasn’t exactly in a good place right now due to their fight, but there was no denying that Ava still had the same effect on Beatrice as when they were pretending to be a couple.

This was a heavy conversation, so Beatrice thinks it would be best to take a page out of Ava’s book and treat the situation with lightheartedness. She wasn’t going to make jokes, but she wasn’t going to be so serious either. She knew Ava struggled with that. Plus, it was part of her quest for self improvement.

So, with Ava still looking confused, Beatrice took a deep breath. “You were right.” She admits, which wasn’t very easy for her. She was used to being the one in the right, not the other way around. “I need to open up and let people in. And I want that, Ava. I want to do that with you.”

“Beatrice—“ Ava starts, only to be cut off by Beatrice holding her hand up.

“Look, I’m not going to apologize or ask for forgiveness or make you do the same because we both hurt each other. We both said stuff we shouldn’t have. We acknowledge that, yes?” Beatrice keeps her eyes on Ava, who only nods in response and waits for Beatrice to continue.

“Okay so it’s either we let that animosity stay between us and destroy whatever it is that we’ve built the past few months, or we can work past it together. You have no idea how hard it is not to talk to you, Ava.”

Ava sighs deeply at Beatrice’s words. She wasn’t wrong, but Ava just didn’t know if she could do this. “I know, Bea. It’s hard not talking to you too. But fuck, we’re both so different from each other. How would that even work? We run in different crowds, we’re not even in the same social status in school—“

“So? Since when have you cared about something like that? Your whole thing is not caring about what other people think for the sake of your own happiness. I’m the one with the issue of keeping up appearances.”

Now that just left Ava really confused. She just continued to stare at the girl in front of her, not really sure who she is anymore. Because her Beatrice was never like this. Who the hell was this girl, spilling all of her feelings like she hadn’t built a fortress around them for maybe a decade long? She recalls her Beatrice shying away from serious conversations about feelings. So, was this really her Beatrice?

While Ava struggled to figure out the answer to her own question, Beatrice noticed how lost Ava looked. Which she supposes is really just due to the shock of her being so straightforward about all of this. But fuck, she’s so tired of pretending not to care and not having Ava to talk to or laugh with and just generally _be_ with. At this point, she was willing to do and say just about anything so Ava sees how much she needs her.

So, what else was she supposed to do but continue to speak? She knew she just needed to talk some sense into Ava. She was good at facts and reason. All she had to do was make Ava see that whatever it is that they had is meant to happen. That it was meant to be real. That _they_ were meant to be real.

“You make me feel like I don’t always have to be alone.” Beatrice starts, taking a few careful steps towards Ava in order to get closer to her. “You taught me that it’s okay to be myself, and that what I want matters. That I don’t have to live up to anyone’s standards, not even my parents, if it means risking my own happiness.”

She was surprised that Ava was quick to say something about that.

“ _Especially_ then. Your parents are assholes.” Ava mumbles, her gaze dropping to her lap as she fiddles with the cast on her leg to give her hands something to do.

Beatrice breathes out a soft laugh and nods. “Yes. They really are. And while they still very much dislike you, they’re glad at the fact that you and I are no longer spending time together. Don’t you want to stick it to them and show up at the house again? Possibly give them an aneurism? You know how much you love it when they get all red from anger.”

“Yeah...I do love that.” Ava nods, although her thoughts were saying something else. Something along the lines of _‘And I know how much I love you.’_ but of course, she wasn’t going to voice it out loud. That was just crazy. Right?

But crazy is supposed to be her thing. Why was she being so hesitant with this? It wasn’t that long ago that she was ready to admit her feelings to Beatrice. Wasn’t long ago that they were about to kiss on top of a ferris wheel. So why was she being such a coward right now? It definitely wasn’t because of Teresa. And sure, her fight with Beatrice left something heavy in her heart but it’s not like she hadn’t done the same to Beatrice. Surely they could work past it.

Eventually, Ava sighs and looks at Beatrice again. She seemed to have gotten closer, enough that Ava could clearly see the freckles scattered beautifully across the bridge of her nose. She must’ve spent some time outside recently. “Okay, Bea. I get it. But what are we supposed to do? I know you said you missed me, and I missed you, so do you want to fix our friendship? Go back to being buds and all that?”

Beatrice fondly rolled her eyes, a small smile suddenly appearing. Leave it up to Ava to be this oblivious of what she was trying to say.

“I can never be just friends with you, Ava.”

Again, Beatrice was met with a confused stare. Seriously, what is it with Ava tonight? Beatrice would be wrong if she said this was going to be easy because apparently, Ava just wasn’t able to accept what she was saying. That or she really is just confused. Maybe Ava was on some medication? She should have checked first with Jillian. But it was too late for that now. She needed to do this.

“I want you to really try to understand what I’m trying to say here, okay? Between the two of us, you’re normally the one who’s good with words and emotions. So I’m out of my element here.” Beatrice says, chuckling softly before sitting down on the edge of Ava’s bed.

She gestures for Ava to come closer, letting the girl decide if she was comfortable with it or not. Much to her relief, Ava actually moved closer to her until she was situated right in front of Beatrice. She takes a deep breath before taking Ava’s hand in hers, wanting to make sure that she’s got her full attention. That, and she also just really missed holding her hand.

“You drive me crazy half the time we’re together.” Beatrice begins, leading Ava to try and fight back a smile before raising an eyebrow at Beatrice. “Is that a compliment? Should I be thanking you or something? Or are you thanking me for it?”

Beatrice rolled her eyes again before gently squeezing Ava’s hand and bringing it up to her lips so she could kiss the back of it. “I’m trying to say something here. Don’t be rude with your interruptions.” She says playfully, earning a smile from Ava.

This is good. Keeping the mood light is good for the both of them. The last thing they needed was for the conversation to be stiff and serious and then avoid it altogether.

“Okay, okay. You can go on, but no promises on the interruption bit. Can’t let you do all the talking.” Ava grins, squeezing Beatrice’s hand back.

Beatrice smiles and shakes her head before letting out a breath, trying to figure out how to continue. “Like I said. You drive me insane sometimes. And at first, it made my head ache. I won’t lie. But then came your annoyingly endearing charisma and I knew. I knew I was a goner. I just didn’t want to admit it.”

“Because you’re competitive.” Ava smirks, wiggling her eyebrows slightly. Beatrice shoots her a glare but laughs. “Yes, I suppose I am. But you are too. And you didn’t help your case by asking everyday if I’ve fallen for you already.”

“Well how else was I supposed to find out?”

“Wait like a normal person, maybe?”

“And since when have I ever been normal?”

Okay, Ava’s got her there. Beatrice once again shakes her head, glad that Ava was back to being her playful self. “Alright, fair point. May I continue?”

“Please.” Ava nods happily as she starts to play with Beatrice’s fingers. Something she dearly missed during their time of silence.

Both were hoping that it would never happen again.

“Now, where was I?”

“You were saying how incredibly charming I am.”

“See I don’t know about _incredibly_ —“

“Just let me have this, Bea.”

Beatrice gives her a look before sighing. How was she ever going to survive a relationship with Ava if she couldn’t say no now? “Fine. But just this one time. Now can I finish or would you like to list all the things I like about you instead? Maybe take over for me?”

“Hm...I don’t know.” Ava hums, as if actually thinking about it before laughing. “I’m just kidding. Okay, for real shutting up now. Floor is yours, take it away.”

Beatrice nods. “Thank you. As I was saying, I didn’t want to admit that I’ve caught feelings for you. Because I knew it would only end in heartache. And...I was right. It did, didn’t it?” She looks at Ava, who suddenly had a guilty look on her face.

“It would be a lie to say that it didn’t.” Ava sighs before locking her eyes on Beatrice’s. “On my part too. Not just yours. I felt what you felt, Bea. I’m sorry that it had to get to that. I just–I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was frustrated and angry and I took it out on you and that wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.”

“We aren’t supposed to be doing apologies, remember?” Beatrice says gently, although glad that Ava pushed down her pride to apologize for something that Beatrice already forgave her for.

Ava casts her gaze down to her lap, looking ashamed. “I need to, Bea. I need you to forgive me, because I can’t forgive myself for saying all those terrible things to you. You of all people don’t deserve that. And if crawling to the ends of the world is what it takes for me to earn your forgiveness then I’ll be happy to do it. I miss having you in my corner.”

“And I miss having you in mine.” Beatrice smiles a little before leaning forward and planting a kiss on Ava’s forehead. “But I wouldn’t be here saying all these things if I hadn’t already forgiven you for that. Besides, you were right. It’s stupid of me to deny that because it was true.”

“I’m not sure about that. Some of the things I said were just straight up insulting and hurtful.”

“Well, yes...” Beatrice trails off before shaking her head. “But that doesn’t make them any less true. Although, I did lie about something at that time.”

Ava looks up at Beatrice again, eyes locking hers. “You did? Lied about what?”

“Well, remember when I said that I have a life that doesn’t need you in it?”

Ava feels her stomach twist at the memory but nods for Beatrice to continue.

“I lied. Because I do need you in my life.” Beatrice affirms. “Ava, you have had this light with you ever since I started spending time with you. It’s something special, and it’s constantly there. Sometimes, I like to think that that light is for me. Even though I know that it’s genuinely just you being you. Which makes you all the more special. You make everyone’s day brighter, especially mine. And I don’t know when exactly it happened, but at some point being with you has easily been the highlight of my day.”

Ava couldn’t help but stare again. Here was the girl she loves, pouring out her feelings, something she wasn’t fully comfortable doing just yet, and all Ava could do was stare. So Beatrice continued while she still had the courage to do so.

“Ava, I’m not asking you to love me.” Beatrice stops, taking in a breath as she lets Ava’s hand slip away from hers. “I–I only need you to pretend that you do. It doesn’t have to be real, I just want to feel like it is. Please. For the sake of my heart, please just pretend to love me. I’ll be okay with just that, Ava. I’m—“

And if Beatrice thought that Ava was just going to sit by and let her keep talking like that, then she would be wrong.

Because suddenly, she was too busy being kissed by Ava to even continue what she was saying.

Sure, it wasn’t exactly the most comfortable position to be in given that Ava was in her wheelchair and really had to lean in closer to Beatrice in order to take her face into her hands but she knew that she couldn’t wait.

This wasn’t like the time at the ferris wheel. This was quiet, and unexpected, and damn was she not prepared for Beatrice’s lips to be so soft but this was theirs. And that was more than enough for the both of them.

And in all honesty, Ava just wanted to stop Beatrice from talking like that. She couldn’t bear to hear the tone in Beatrice’s voice, as if Ava didn’t already love her. She didn’t need to pretend or fake anything and she needed Beatrice to know that. Not just with words, but also with some lip action cause she’s been waiting to do that for who knows how long now. She was tired of loving Beatrice in silence in fear of rejection.

Beatrice however, was not prepared at all. She still had so much to say before Ava so rudely interrupted her again. And with her lips nonetheless! Beatrice had hoped for this many times, but she didn’t think that it would happen at that time. Her stomach was suddenly twisted in a knot as her eyes automatically closed, forcing her tense shoulders to relax. She could feel her heart beating erratically, her knees quite literally going weak, but her hands somehow found the front of Ava’s shirt before curling her fingers into the fabric. Yet she still feels incredibly underprepared.

But somehow Ava’s tender touch as she cradles Beatrice’s face in her hands was enough to at least keep her conscious. Enough to kiss back. It was slow, gentle. As if it could break at the drop of a pin.

_‘Something to shut your rambling up,’_ A voice in her head suddenly quipped, sounding suspiciously like the teasing voice of girl in front of her.

Eventually, they both needed proper air and it was Ava who had to slowly pull away, leaving Beatrice to chase her lips slightly before her eyes snapped open and stared at Ava in shock.

“Bea? You good?” Ava tilted her head curiously, her eyebrows furrowing in concern that she had made the wrong move and made Beatrice uncomfortable. She was just about to apologize before Beatrice let out a huff.

“You stole it.”

Ava’s look turned into confusion. Again. “What?”

“My first kiss. You stole it.” Beatrice clarifies, making Ava’s mouth drop for a second.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Is that why you set that damn no kissing rule? Because you haven’t had your first kiss?”

Beatrice shrugs, a smile growing on her lips. “I mean, I have now.” She laughs, making Ava shake her head. “Oh no. Don’t get so smug with me, missy. I have your first kiss. I can easily hold that over your head.”

“Somehow, I don’t really mind.”

Ava smiles back at her, her fingers caressing Beatrice’s cheeks before letting her hands fall back onto her lap.

“So you like me, huh?” Ava teases after a moment, making Beatrice roll her eyes. “I more than like you, Ava. And I know we have a lot of things to work out still, but for now I just want this night to end happily.”

Ava wiggles her eyebrows in response. “Okay, and? You more than like me, yeah? Do you have anything else to say? Ya know, three words? Eight letters? Say it and I’m yours.” She quotes, knowing Beatrice wouldn’t even notice that she just took it from Gossip Girl.

“I was already the first to admit my feelings. The least you can do is technically lose for me.” Beatrice crosses her arms, expecting for Ava to cave in since she practically already did.

Ava hesitates, pouting. “But Bea…you know I’m competitive.”

“Ava!”

Said girl holds up her hands in surrender, laughing. “Okay, okay! Fine. Help me first though.” Ava then shifts slightly in her wheelchair, gripping the armrests as she moves to sit beside Beatrice on the bed.

Beatrice was quick as always, wrapping an arm around Ava’s waist to hold her up before gently guiding her onto the bed. Ava lets out a breath as she makes herself comfortable, silently cursing the cast on her leg before looking at Beatrice and smiling.

“I don’t know what that whole thing about asking me to pretend to love you was. Because I promise you, I don’t need to pretend.” Ava takes Beatrice’s hands into her own before squeezing them and looking into Beatrice’s eyes. “I love you, Bea. I’ve been in love with you for a while now and _fuck,_ it feels _so_ good to say it out loud.”

Beatrice laughs as the tears brimmed in her eyes, she squeezed Ava’s hands before throwing her arms around the smaller girl. She buries her face in the crook of Ava’s neck, her heart feeling so full that it was practically singing by the time Ava wrapped her arms around Beatrice’s waist.

“I love you, too.” She whispers, knowing Ava could hear it. She feels the weight from her chest being lifted, her eyes closing as she savors the feeling of everything. She no longer wants to push anything away. She wants to feel it all.

They stay like that for about a minute or two, just enjoying the familiar feeling of having each other so close. This time, it was Beatrice who pulled away from the hug.

She gives Ava a shy look, although she proceeds with her question. “Do you think we can kiss again?”

“You don’t even have to ask.” Ava answers almost immediately before leaning closer, wasting no time in capturing the lips in front of her in her own.

Beatrice nearly gasped at the intensity of Ava, her eyes fluttering shut as she returns the kiss. Or at least tries to, since this seemed like it required practice. It didn’t take very long for it to deepen though and Beatrice was all too aware that this kiss was different than the first. This was something deep, demanding. Like Ava was trying to show her just how much she’s waited desperately for this moment. And if Beatrice was being honest, she felt the same.

She didn’t even notice that her hands are back to gripping Ava’s shirt, although this time it was by her waist, keeping her body close. While Ava’s hands cupped Beatrice’s cheeks, keeping her lips right where they should be. And they would‘ve stayed that way too if it weren’t for the sudden opening of the door and a high pitched squeal of delight.

“Oh my _God—“_

“You made up!”

The sound of the door was enough to startle the two girls on the bed, but hearing Lilith and Camila’s voices proved to be too much for Beatrice. Because suddenly Ava let out a small yelp as they quickly pulled away from each other, a hand shooting up to hold her mouth.

“You just bit me!” Ava accused, holding her hand out to see a bit of blood on her fingers. “I’m bleeding! You bit me so hard I’m bleeding!”

“I’m sorry! I panicked! It was their fault!”

Lilith tuts while shaking her head, although undeniably pleased by what she just witnessed. Disgusted, because it’s her best friend making out with Ava of all people, but pleased nonetheless since they seemed to be okay now. “Now now, Beatrice. We specifically told you two to talk, not shove each other’s tongues down your throats.”

“We did no such thing!” Ava exclaims, lower lip still bleeding while Beatrice hides her burning face in her hands out of embarrassment.

Meanwhile Camila just claps her hands happily, taking full credit since it was her plan to make them make up already. “You two are okay!” She beamed, taking Lilith’s hand and shaking it thoroughly. “Lily! They’re okay!”

“Yes, yes. I saw that.” Lilith chuckles, letting Camila squeeze and shake her hand as much as she wanted to before letting go. She then walks over to a box of tissues, taking a few and handing them over to Ava.

The bleeding girl gratefully takes them before pressing it against her bleeding lip. “You know, there’s a door there for a reason. You could’ve knocked.”

“But where’s the fun in that? Besides, we thought you two were still being stubborn and not talking to each other. We didn’t know silence meant practically devouring each other’s lips.”

“Lilith!” Beatrice snaps, shooting a glare at her. Lilith only shrugged in response. “I think what you mean to say is _thank you.”_

“So are you two good now? You’re really okay?” Camila asks, practically bouncing in her spot as she looks back and forth between Ava and Beatrice.

Beatrice finally gets enough courage to look at Ava again, instantly smiling before nodding at Camila’s question. “We really are. We’re good. Thank you, both of you.”

“Just promise me I won’t be walking in on you two going down on each other—“

“Lilith!”

“Well I don’t want to see that!” Lilith says as she holds her hands up in surrender, clearly unaffected by Beatrice’s glare. Especially since she was practically just a blushing mess at that point.

Ava lets out a breath as she lowers the tissues, knowing the bleeding has stopped by now. There was only one more thing she needed to do.

“Hey Bea,” She nudges, successful gaining Beatrice’s attention.

“Yes?”

Ava grins, not really minding that there were other people in the room. They were their best friends, she’s sure Beatrice won’t mind either.

“Be my girlfriend?” She pauses, watching Beatrice’s eyes light up. “For real this time, of course.”

Beatrice’s answer didn’t even come in the form of words. She only takes Ava’s face in her hands before pressing her lips onto hers as Camila continues to clap and cheer with Lilith looking on.

* * *

_Meanwhile…._

_(Teresa’s room, somewhere in town)_

“Perfect.” Teresa whispers as she admires her work.

On her computer screen was a bunch of photos, all with Ava and her in them. She smiles as she traces her fingers over Ava’s smile on the screen, looking at her photoshopped self beside the smiling girl.

Obviously, she had done her best to get rid of any traces of Beatrice. If she wanted photos of Ava hugging her and smiling at her, then Teresa was damn well going to make it happen. Even if it meant hours and hours of erasing the girl who was in the way of her sure fire relationship with Ava.

She continues to hum as she resumes her work, so far having edited herself into a dozen photos. Her eyes flicker from one screen to another, her smile only growing when she sees Ava and Beatrice going back and forth with their conversation—like they were arguing. Or at least it seemed like they were, there was no audio to prove it.

And it was completely justified to her that she installed a camera situated right outside Ava’s bedroom window. The tree across from it was the perfect spot. She needed a way to make sure that her Ava was okay, especially at night. Plus, Ava has been looking outside her window more and more recently which just meant more screen time and more stills for her growing collection. Pretty soon, she’s sure she’ll have enough to cover her bedroom walls with photos of Ava. And she was thoroughly enjoying not seeing Beatrice there anymore. Until of course tonight.

But she paid it no mind, because their relationship didn’t seem to be getting better. The two looked like they were only talking, so she allowed it. Them crumbling down even more just meant that she has a higher chance of getting Ava into her arms. Sure, it was going to take a lot of time and effort and convincing but she was sure she could it. And she swears she would make it happen one way or another.

She was halfway through altering another photo (this time of Ava and Beatrice holding hands) when she happens to glance at the monitor of the camera. She quickly scowls as she sees a squirrel in front of the lens, looking curious and trying to see what the strange device does. She pulls the monitor close to her before tapping around, grinning after a moment.

“What’s say you get a little bit of an...energy boost. Huh, Mr. Squirrel?” She mumbles before pressing a button and watched as the face of the squirrel freezes up before dropping to the ground. She moves the camera angle down after, laughing once she sees the still slightly smoking dead squirrel on the ground. So far, she has electrocuted four squirrels and a bird who got in the way of her view.

She then moves the camera angle back to the window, only to be disappointed when she can no longer see Ava. But she can no longer see Beatrice either, so that was a plus.

“Hmm....no matter. I’ll see you soon, my love.” She smiles as she stares at Ava’s photo before turning the camera and the screen off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright hold on, hold on. don't click off yet. just wanna say that this story is almost at its end. there's gonna be plot in the next few chapters, which will be about teresa. wanted to wrap things up with her. but i do want to say, this is not at all how i saw this fic going. it was supposed to be light fun fluffy crack. that being said, there will be another installlment. after this fic, i'll just be doing a bunch of oneshots in this universe. meaning avatrice still in their betting game, seeing their relationship develop, shit with bea's parents, that sorta thing. i'll update you guys. that's if you want that. idk lemme know if you do or don't so i know what to do okay that's it see y'all next chap


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